Seoul: The number of newly married couples in South Korea fell short of 1 million for the second consecutive year in 2024, with nearly half remaining childless, government data showed Friday. There were 952,000 newlyweds recorded last year, marking a 2.3 percent decline from the 974,000 couples reported in the previous year, based on data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. "Newlyweds" are defined as couples who have been married for five years or less.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the figure dipped below 1 million in 2023 for the first time since the ministry began compiling such data in 2015. Despite the overall decline, there was a slight increase in the number of couples in their first and second year of marriage in 2024, with increases of 9.8 percent and 2.9 percent on-year, respectively.

Of the newlywed couples in 2024, 51.2 percent had children, which represents a decrease of 1.3 percentage points from the previous year, the data indicated. South Korea has been grappling with a low birthrate and an aging population, as many young individuals choose to delay or forgo marriage and childbearing. This trend is influenced by shifting social norms and lifestyles, high housing costs, a challenging job market, and an economic slowdown.

In 2024, the total fertility rate, which is the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rebounded for the first time in nine years, reaching 0.75.