Increase in International Marriages Among People in Their 50s... Over Half of Users Marry Vietnamese or People in Their 20s

Users in their 50s Increasing Since 2017
40s Account for Highest Share at 56%
Foreign Spouses Aged 29 or Younger Make Up 61%
Average 9.3 Days from Matchmaking to Marriage

The age group of Korean users utilizing international marriage brokerage services is increasing. The proportion of users aged 50 and above has risen by more than 10 percentage points over the past three years, with more than half of all users marrying Vietnamese partners in their 20s.

On the 23rd, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the results of the "2023 Marriage Brokerage Industry Survey," which contains this information. The marriage brokerage industry survey is a nationally approved statistic conducted every three years under Article 2-2 of the "Act on the Management of Marriage Brokerage."

[Source: Pixabay]

Analysis of international marriage brokerage users last year showed that the proportion of users aged 50 and above steadily increased from ▲14.2% (2017) ▲20.6% (2020) to ▲30.8% (2023). The proportion of users in their 40s was the highest at 55.7%, although it slightly decreased compared to the 2020 survey (61.3%). The proportion of users aged 39 and below decreased from 18.0% in 2020 to 13.5%. The highest level of education was university or higher at 50.6%, up from 43.8% in the 2020 survey.

On the other hand, the age of foreign spouses was 29 or younger at 60.6%, still accounting for a significant proportion. Among them, those 24 or younger accounted for 37.3%. However, the proportion of those 29 or younger decreased by about 19 percentage points over three years. The country of origin was Vietnam at 80.0%.

The average period from the matchmaking meeting between Korean users and foreign spouses to the wedding ceremony was found to be 9.3 days. This is an increase compared to 4.4 days in 2017 and 5.7 days in 2020.

Also, the average time from matchmaking to marriage registration was 4.8 months, and it took 4.3 months until the spouse’s entry into Korea. These also increased by 0.5 months each compared to the 2020 survey.

The total amount paid by Korean users to marriage brokerage companies averaged 19.32 million KRW, an increase of 2.8 million KRW from 16.52 million KRW in 2020. This appears to be influenced by inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the extended duration of matchmaking trips.