International marriages hit 3-year high amid eased entry restrictions

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Finance

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 02:26

Economy

International marriages hit 3-year high amid eased entry restrictions

Posted : 2023-03-16 16:18

Updated : 2023-03-16 18:11

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Overall number of marriages in 2022 plunges to record-low amid population decline

By Yi Whan-woo

The number of international marriages hit a three-year high in 2022, with the year-on-year growth rate ticking up 27.2 percent as travel restrictions for international arrivals were eased in Korea following the strict COVID-19 measures.

Statistics Korea said Thursday that the number of marriages between Koreans and foreign nationals fell to 16,700 last year, down from 23,600 in 2019. In 2020 the figure stood at 15,300 and then in 2021 it fell even further to 13,100.

"The restricted entry for foreign nationals led to a downturn in the number of international marriages when the pandemic was at its height in 2020 and 2021, but it has apparently recovered as the restrictions were softened," Statistics Korea said.

Of the 16,700 international marriages, the couples that comprised a Korean husband and a foreign wife stood at 12,000. The figure was up 33.6 percent from a year earlier.

The number of couples comprised of a Korean wife and a foreign husband increased 13.2 percent year-on-year to 4,700.

Of the foreign wives, 27.6 percent were from Vietnam. The other 19 percent were from China and another 16.1 percent were from Thailand.

Of the foreign husbands, 29.6 percent were from the United States. Chinese husbands accounted for 16.1 percent and husbands from Vietnam made up 12.6 percent.

The number of divorces between international couples stood at the lowest level in 10 years at just 5,800.

International marriages accounted for 8.7 percent of the total number of marriages in the country in 2022. The ratio is at its highest level since 2019, when it stood at 9.9 percent before dropping to 7.2 percent in 2020 and 6.8 percent in 2021.

Meanwhile, the overall number of newlyweds slid 0.4 percent year-on-year to 191,700 in 2022, marking a record low since relevant data started being compiled in 1970.

The 2022 reading extends the decrease in the number of marriages since 2011. In particular, the number has been creating record lows for four consecutive years, with 239,100 in 2019, 213,500 in 2020 and 192,500 in 2021.

The last year's figure has more than halved from the record-high of 434,900 in 1996. The number of marriages hovered around the 300,000 mark in the late 1990s through to the mid-2010s, before dwindling to the 200,000 mark in the late 2010s.

The average age for first marriages climbed to a record high for both men and women ― 33.7 and 31.3, respectively.

Statistics Korea mainly attributed the decline in marriages to the decline in population among those aged between 25 and 49 and projected that such a decline will result in a steeper fall in the birth rate, which is already the world's lowest.

yistory@koreatimes.co.kr