South Korea’s crude marriage rate; downshift in the country’s dismal fertility rate
Last year, south korea’s marriage rate hit a low blow. This has argued a major downshift in the country’s dismal fertility rate. The number of marriages per 1,000 people — slid to 3.7 from 3.8 in 2021, according to data released Thursday by the national statistics office. About 191,700 marriages took place in 2022, down 0.4% from a year earlier.
This reluctance of South Korea to be married will result in the world’s lowest fertility rate may fall even further. Matrimony and fertility are closely associated in Korea, where births outside marriage remain rare. Low fertility also threatens to undermine Korea’s productivity by shrinking its workforce and slowing consumption.
The government have issued some measure to cope with this low marriage rate. One of such measure includes a tripling of monthly allowances for parents by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took office last year.
