South Korea Marriages
South Korea's number of marriages was 240,326 in 2025, up 17,914 from 2024. The record low was 191,690 in 2022. By province, North Gyeongsang was lowest (3.6 per 1,000 people) and Daejeon highest (6.1 per 1,000 people).
1990–2025
Data table
| Year | Marriages |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 240,326 |
| 2024 | 222,412 |
| 2023 | 193,657 |
| 2022 | 191,690 |
| 2021 | 192,507 |
| 2020 | 213,502 |
| 2019 | 239,159 |
| 2018 | 257,622 |
| 2017 | 264,455 |
| 2016 | 281,635 |
| 2015 | 302,828 |
| 2014 | 305,507 |
| 2013 | 322,807 |
| 2012 | 327,073 |
| 2011 | 329,087 |
| 2010 | 326,104 |
| 2009 | 309,759 |
| 2008 | 327,715 |
| 2007 | 343,559 |
| 2006 | 330,634 |
| 2005 | 314,304 |
| 2004 | 308,598 |
| 2003 | 302,503 |
| 2002 | 304,877 |
| 2001 | 318,407 |
| 2000 | 332,090 |
| 1999 | 360,407 |
| 1998 | 373,500 |
| 1997 | 388,960 |
| 1996 | 434,911 |
| 1995 | 398,484 |
| 1994 | 393,121 |
| 1993 | 402,593 |
| 1992 | 419,774 |
| 1991 | 416,872 |
| 1990 | 399,312 |
By province, 2025 (per 1,000 people)
Data table
| Province | Marriages, per 1,000 people |
|---|---|
| Daejeon | 6.1 |
| Seoul | 5.3 |
| Sejong | 5.1 |
| Gyeonggi | 5.0 |
| Ulsan | 4.7 |
| North Chungcheong | 4.6 |
| Incheon | 4.6 |
| South Chungcheong | 4.4 |
| Gwangju | 4.3 |
| Jeju | 4.2 |
| Gangwon | 4.2 |
| South Jeolla | 4.1 |
| Daegu | 4.0 |
| Busan | 4.0 |
| South Gyeongsang | 3.7 |
| Jeonbuk | 3.7 |
| North Gyeongsang | 3.6 |
Context
This page counts marriages registered in South Korea each year. In South Korea, marriage and childbirth are closely linked: very few children are born outside marriage, so the number of weddings is one of the best early signals for future births.
Marriages peaked at 434,911 in 1996 and then drifted down for more than two decades as young people married later or not at all, citing housing costs, job insecurity and long working hours. The pandemic accelerated the fall, and marriages hit a record low of 191,690 in 2022.
Then came a sharp rebound. Marriages jumped 14.8% in 2024 — the largest one-year rise in the data — as postponed weddings went ahead, and rose another 8.1% in 2025 to 240,326, the most since 2018. Because first births usually follow a year or two after marriage, this rise is a key reason births have started to recover.