Increase in Births Outside of Marriage Driven by Changing Social Attitudes
Proportion of Children Born Within Two Years of Marriage Also Rises
As social awareness that it is possible to have children without marriage continues to spread, the proportion of births outside of marriage reached a record high of 5.8% last year.
On the 29th, Statistics Korea released the "2024 Birth Statistics." After announcing provisional results last February, this time the agency released the finalized figures. The statistics are based on data reported up to April this year regarding births that occurred last year, which have been compiled and analyzed.
The number of births last year was 238,300, an increase of 8,300 (3.6%) compared to the previous year. The crude birth rate, which is the number of births per 1,000 people, rose by 0.02 to 4.7. The total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) increased by 0.03 to 0.75.
Looking at the total fertility rate by region, 13 regions including Incheon and Sejong showed an increase. Notably, Jeonnam and Sejong each recorded 1.03, standing out among the regions. Seoul (0.58) and Busan (0.68) had the lowest total fertility rates.
The number of births outside of marriage was 13,800, an increase of 3,000. The proportion of births outside of marriage rose by 1.1 percentage points to 5.8%. This is the highest proportion since such statistics have been recorded. A Statistics Korea official explained, "The perception that children must be born after marriage is changing."
In fact, the proportion of respondents who answered positively to the question in the Statistics Korea social survey about whether it is possible to have children without marriage has been steadily increasing. It was 21.5% in 2008 and jumped to 30.2% in 2018, a significant rise over 10 years. Afterward, it rose to 30.7% in 2020, 34.7% in 2022, and reached 37.2% last year.
The proportion of children born within two years of marriage was 35.0%, up 1.1 percentage points. This is the first increase in 12 years since 2012. Among firstborns, the proportion born within two years of their parents' marriage also rose by 0.5 percentage points to 52.6%. A Statistics Korea official evaluated, "The increase in people having children within two years is a positive sign."
Looking at the birth rate by the mother's age (number of births per 1,000 women in each age group), women in their early 30s (30-34) had the highest rate at 70.4. This is a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year. Both the early 30s and late 30s (35-39) age groups saw increases of 3.7 (5.6%) and 3.0 (7.0%), respectively, while the late 20s (25-29) age group saw a decrease of 0.7 (3.3%).
The average age of fathers at the time of birth was 36.1, the same as the previous year. By age group, the late 30s (35-39) accounted for the highest proportion at 37.5%, followed by the early 30s (30-34) at 35.9%. Compared to 10 years ago, the proportion in the early 30s decreased by 9.1 percentage points, while the late 30s increased by 6.6 percentage points. The proportion of fathers aged 50 and over (1.1%) was the highest ever recorded.
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