The number of registered marriages in 2022 in South Korea was less than 200,000, the lowest number since 1970, when the country began recording demographic data. This was reported on March 16 by the Korea Herald, citing data from the Korea Statistical Information Service.
In 2022, 191,690 marriages were registered in the country, which represents a decrease of 0.4% compared to the 192,507 marriages in 2021.
The decrease in marriages is a great concern, since in November 2021 the country’s authorities reported that the country’s population is 51.74 million people, which represents 0.2% or about 91 thousand people less than in 2020.
In February this year, the government announced that South Korea had broken its own record for low birthrate, ranking last in the world on this indicator. The total fertility rate, the average number of children expected by a South Korean woman of reproductive age, dropped from 0.81 in 2021 to 0.78 in 2022.
In the country’s capital, Seoul, it recorded the lowest rate of all – 0.59.
Census chief Lim Yong Il noted that the population decline and changes in South Koreans’ attitudes toward marriage are the main factors in the declining birth rate.
“The number of marriages has declined in part due to the steady decline in the population between the ages of 25 and 49.” Lim explained, adding that another reason was “the changing perception of marriage.”
Statistics show that in 2022, the average age of the newlyweds was 31.3 years, 0.2 years older than in 2021, and the age of the bride and groom was 33.7 years, 0.4 years older. than the previous year.
Among first-time couples, 19.4% of unions were between an older woman and a younger man. However, marriages between an old man and a young woman constituted the main part, 64.4%, while in 16.2% of the cases the spouses were of approximately the same age.
Government data also showed that the number of intermarriages has increased since travel restrictions due to Covid-19 were lifted.
Also in South Korea, the number of divorces has decreased due to a decrease in the number of marriages. In 2022, the country’s divorce rate reached its lowest level in 25 years at 93,232, and in 2021 there were 101,673 divorces in the country.
The persistent drop in the birth rate and the rapid increase in the number of older people alarmed the government and civil society groups and prompted action by the Catholic Church.
The Archdiocese of Seoul launched a campaign in October 2022 that supports pregnant women and opposes abortion, among other things. The campaign involves various advocacy groups that oppose abortion and advocate for the protection of unborn children.
The Korean Church has long advocated the protection of life and opposes abortion, based on the Catholic Church’s position on the “sacredness of life,” which teaches that human life must be protected “from the moment of conception”.
In 2018, the Korean bishops launched an anti-abortion petition that garnered one million signatures. The church also organized the March for Life, an anti-abortion protest in various parts of the country.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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