South Korea Marriages: Fear Of Divorce To Result To More Single Women By 2025

Koreans tend to get married late or prevent wedlock. This is according to the latest findings from Statistics Korea on the country's marriage and divorce. The figures revealed a lesser number of marriages and divorces in 2016 from the past year.

Koreans' Number Of Marriages Hit The Lowest Mark In 2016

In 2016, Koreans had 281,600 marriages, which is a 7 percent decline from 2015. According to Statistics Korea, this is due to the smaller number of population of Koreans in their 20s and 30s, high rent, unstable job conditions and the increasing trend of late marriage.

The number of marriages per 1,000 Koreans every year was 5.5 in 2016, which is the lowest rate since 1970. Reports also suggest that the crude marriage statistics in 1970 was 295.1 marriages per 1,000 Koreans.

Meantime, a decline in the rate of Korean marriages is believed to decrease the number of divorces. Based on the findings, 107,300 Korean couples were divorced in 2016 or 1.7 percent less than the previous year, while the crude divorce number was 2.1 percent, which is the lowest since 1997. Moreover, three out of 10 divorced couples had been together for over 20 years before dissolving their vows, Korea Herald reported.

One Of Ten Korean Women Will Remain Single By 2025

One out of 10 Korean Women who turn 50 is expected to remain single by 2025. Based on the study conducted by the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs, single women that comprise the 3.8 percent of all Korean female in 2015 would grow up to 7.1 percent in 2020, while up to 10.5 percent in 2025. Meantime, less than 1 percent of the South Korean females were single in the 1990s.

Korean women's negative idea of marriage is believed to be the major factor to the increasing growth. According to reports, these negative perceptions ultimately decrease the marriage rate that can be the main factor for the low birthrates of South Korea, The Star reported. Watch Marriage in South Korea here