Marriages in Korea rise for 2nd straight year in 2024: data

The number of marriages in Korea rose for the second consecutive year in 2024, leading to a slight uptick in the number of newborns, government data showed Wednesday, offering a rare positive sign amid the country's deepening demographic crisis. The number of couples tying the knot reached 222,400 last year, up from 193,700 in 2023, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The figure had previously been on a downward trend after peaking at 430,000 in 1996, hitting a record low of 192,000 in 2022. The agency said the number of newborns came to 238,000 in 2024, up slightly from a record low of 230,000 in 2023, the data showed. Prior to the 2024 figure, the number of births had also been steadily declining since 1995, when 715,000 babies were born. The agency attributed the increase in births to a rebound in marriage registrations following the COVID-19 pandemic. In Korea, where births outside of marriage remain rare, trends in marriages tend to directly impact birth rates. "Despite the uptick, the birth figure for 2024 remains only around 33 percent of the level seen in 1995," said an agWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times