[Photo] South Korean marriage rate plummets for 7th consecutive years, lowest since 1972

Last year marked the seventh consecutive year of plummeting marriage rates in South Korea, recording the lowest number of annual marriages since 1972. Furthermore, the average age of marriage for both men and women increased by 0.2 years. Figures released by Statistics Korea on Mar. 20 revealed that the total number of marriages for 2018 was 257,600, a decrease of 2.8% from the previous year. This was the lowest recorded number of marriages in South Korea since 1972 (244,780), meaning only five marriages occur per every 1,000 people. The average marriage age was 33.2 years for men and 30.4 years for women. Observers cited a number of possible causes for this decline in marriages, including youth unemployment and economic difficulties, the increasing economic independence of women and their rising standards, and decreased belief in the idea that marriage is a necessary part of life.