Seoul: The number of marriages in South Korea increased by 8.1 percent from a year earlier in 2025, reaching the highest figure in seven years, government data revealed on Thursday. A total of 240,300 marriages were reported last year, up from 222,400 cases in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of increase.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 2025 tally was comparable to the pre-pandemic level of 239,200 cases posted in 2019. The number of marriages hovered around the 200,000 threshold from 2020 to 2023, as many couples postponed the event during the pandemic, before rebounding to 222,000 in 2024. The Ministry of Data and Statistics attributed the recent rise in marriages to an increase in the population in their early 30s and the concentration of marriages that had been delayed during the pandemic. A positive perception toward marriage has also been growing among singles.

The average age of first marriage for men was 33.9 in 2025, while for women it was 31.6. Ten years ago, men got married at an average age of 32.6 and women at 30. The number of divorces decreased by 3.3 percent on-year to 88,000 in 2025.

Data also indicated that marriages between South Koreans and foreign spouses decreased by 0.3 percent on-year to 21,000 cases in 2025, ending three consecutive years of increase since 2021. Of the total marriages in the country last year, multicultural marriages accounted for 8.6 percent, down 0.7 percentage point from 2024. Vietnamese women made up the largest share of all foreign wives at 30.5 percent, followed by Chinese women at 16.1 percent and Thai women at 12.5 percent. Among foreign husbands, those from the United States accounted for 28.2 percent, followed by China at 16.6 percent and Vietnam at 14.8 percent. The number of divorces among multicultural couples increased by 4.2 percent on-year to 6,000.