S.Korea's marriage rate hits record low in 2018

SEOUL, March 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's marriage rate hit a new record low last year as the younger generation delayed or gave up on marriage due to economic uncertainties, data showed Wednesday.

The marriage rate, which gauges the number of marriages per 1,000 people, stood at 5.0 in 2018, according to data from Statistics Korea. It was the lowest since the agency began to compile the data in 1970.

After peaking at 10.6 in 1980, the figure continued to decline from 9.3 in 1990 to 7.0 in 2000 and 6.5 in 2010 each.

The number of couples tying the knot was 257,622 in 2018, down 2.6 percent from the previous year. It marked the lowest in over 40 years, keeping a downward trend for the seventh consecutive year since 2012.

The continued fall in marriage came as the growing number of young people delayed or gave up on marriage amid economic uncertainties.

The country's jobless rate stood at 4.7 percent in February, while the unemployment rate among those aged 15-29 came to 9.5 percent.

The population of those in their early 30s, the main age of getting married for the first time, continued to fall, while social trend changed into a rising number of people enjoying a single life, according to the statistical office.

The average age of first-time marriages stood at 33.2 for men and 30.4 for women each in 2018, both up 0.2 years from the previous year.

The number of South Koreans marrying a foreign spouse was 22,698 in 2018, up 8.9 percent from a year earlier.

The number of divorces rose 2.5 percent over the year to 108,684 last year.