19.0% of Couples Delay Marriage Registration for Over a Year
Registration Postponed Due to Disadvantages in Housing Subscription and Loan Limits
The number of newlywed couples who delay registering their marriage after holding a wedding has nearly doubled over the past decade. Structural factors, such as disadvantages in housing subscriptions and loan limits, are cited as practical reasons that make marriage registration a 'burden'.
According to data submitted by the National Statistical Office to Assemblyman Jung Ilyoung of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee on October 14, the proportion of couples who delayed marriage registration by more than one year jumped from 10.9% in 2014 to 19.0% in 2025. As of last year, this means that one out of every five married couples postponed marriage registration for over a year.
In the same year, the proportion of out-of-wedlock births also reached an all-time high of 5.8% (13,827 children). Experts analyze that the marriage system is increasingly being avoided because it puts couples at a disadvantage in areas such as housing, taxation, and finance, leading to a growing 'reluctance to register marriage'.
Representative examples include ▲reduced limits on mortgage loans ▲fewer opportunities for housing subscriptions ▲higher acquisition taxes.
For instance, under the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation's "My Home Stepping Stone Loan" program, unmarried individuals with an annual income of up to 60 million won can borrow up to 200 million won. However, after marriage registration, couples with a combined annual income exceeding 85 million won are excluded from eligibility.
In the housing subscription system, unmarried individuals can each apply separately, but after marriage registration, the couple is grouped as a single household, limiting them to one application. In addition, before marriage, if each person owns one house, the standard tax rate (1~3%) applies. After marriage registration, however, they are classified as a two-home household, and in regulated areas, the acquisition tax rate can be as high as 8%. In other words, being legally married can result in disadvantages when acquiring a home.
Assemblyman Jung stated, "Statistics on delayed marriage registration and income polarization clearly reflect the real difficulties faced by the younger generation," adding, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance and related agencies must completely redesign housing, taxation, and financial systems so that marriage becomes a choice rather than a disadvantage."
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