"Marriage? Can't Even Dream of It" Harsh Youth... Birth Rate Declines for 70 Consecutive Months

Record Low Numbers in Both Newborns and Marriages
About 90% of Unmarried Youth Respond "Marriage is a Choice"
Poor Quality Jobs, High Debt... Youth Continue to Struggle Financially
"No Confidence in Supporting Family," Interest in Marriage Declines

According to Statistics Korea, as of last September, the number of newborns in the country has been declining for 70 consecutive months. The photo shows an empty obstetrics and gynecology ward in a hospital. This is unrelated to any specific expressions in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] With both births and marriages in September this year hitting record lows, South Korea's population outlook is growing increasingly bleak. Experts point out that the severe financial hardships faced by young people since COVID-19 have left them with no room to plan for families. A prominent domestic scholar even declared, "Our country is fundamentally not an environment for raising children." Specialists warn that the recession could accompany a serious low birthrate, cautioning that the economic downturn felt by young Koreans is in a critical state.

◆Number of newborns decreases for an astonishing 70 consecutive months

According to the 'Population Trends' report released by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the number of births in September was 21,920, down 6.7% compared to the same period last year. The number of births in South Korea has been declining for an astonishing 70 consecutive months since December 2015.

The number of marriages, which greatly influences future newborn births, is also on a downward trajectory. The number of marriages was 14,720, a 10.4% decrease from the previous year. Last year, strict social distancing measures were implemented to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting wedding ceremonies. Considering this, interest in marriage among young Koreans is rapidly diminishing.

A significant number of young people find not only childbirth but also marriage burdensome. / Photo by Yonhap News

In fact, a significant portion of young people find marriage burdensome. According to a 2019 survey conducted by the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association targeting about 1,000 young people aged 20-30, approximately 90% of unmarried respondents said "marriage is a choice." About 18% of men and 30% of women firmly decided never to marry in their lifetime.

The reasons young people delay or reject marriage appear to be a complex mix of economic and social factors. In this survey, young respondents cited "economic burdens such as securing housing," "comfort in living alone," and "social inequalities like patriarchy" as reasons for reluctance toward marriage.

◆Harsh lives of youth... unable to even dream of family planning

There is a view that the increased hardships faced by young people during COVID-19 worsen the aging and low birthrate society.

Recent employment statistics show clear signs of deteriorating job quality, with an increase in irregular jobs. According to the National Statistical Portal of Statistics Korea, as of August, the number of irregular workers with a college degree or higher was 2,841,000, up 12.7% from the previous year. This is the highest number since statistics began in 2003.

President Moon Jae-in attending the 2021 "Dialogue with the People" held at the KBS Open Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on the 21st. / Photo by Yonhap News

President Moon Jae-in also expressed concerns about the domestic employment environment, where quality jobs are not being created. During a live broadcast 'Conversation with the People' on KBS on the 21st, President Moon said, "Youth employment, which had decreased due to COVID-19, has almost fully recovered by 99.9% as of last month," but added, "That is in quantity, but there are many criticisms about whether quality jobs that young people want are actually being created."

With unstable income, the number of young people relying on loans has also increased. According to the Korea Institute of Finance, as of the end of last year, the loan-to-income ratio (LTI) for young people rose by about 24%, a much larger increase compared to other age groups. This means debt burdens are rapidly increasing relative to their earnings.

◆"No food to eat, no place to hide... low birthrate phenomenon is perfectly natural"

Young workers lament that with their current income levels, "family planning" is not even a dream.

A in their 20s working in marketing said, "Living day to day, marriage is a story I can't even dream of," adding, "Even if I were to start a family, with buying a house and repaying loans, life would remain tight. There is absolutely no chance of having children."

Choi Jaecheon, Distinguished Professor at Ewha Womans University, pointed out that "the low birthrate phenomenon in South Korea is quite natural from a biologist's perspective." / Photo by 'Choi Jaecheon's Amazon' YouTube channel broadcast capture

B, a 29-year-old freelancer, said, "Due to the nature of my job, I never know when money will come in or go out, so I have no confidence in supporting a family," and added, "From talking with fellow freelancers, I haven't seen anyone say they want to get married; rather, they prefer living alone comfortably."

Given this situation, a prominent domestic scholar criticized the current social climate by saying, "It is strange for anyone to have children in Korea."

World-renowned sociobiologist Professor Choi Jaecheon, Ewha Womans University Chair Professor, stated in a video posted on his YouTube channel on the 23rd, "If there is no food around and no place to hide, animals that reproduce find it hard to survive through evolution," and added, "From a biologist's perspective, the current low birthrate phenomenon in South Korea is perfectly natural."

He compared the current 20-30 generation, who cannot even imagine marriage due to unstable income and lack of proper housing, to animal ecology.

However, Professor Choi emphasized support for young people, saying, "Once the situation improves, childbirth will naturally occur," and "In this country, if children are born, they grow up very well, and as parents, we can envision a happy family watching those well-raised children. Only then can things change."

Experts warn that a serious low birthrate phenomenon could occur in conjunction with the economic recession.

Professor Kim Taegi of Dankook University's Department of Economics explained, "There is a significant correlation between the economy and marriage and childbirth. Just as a baby boom occurred during past periods of rapid growth, conversely, the number of newborns can sharply decrease during recessions. This is a phenomenon observed not only in our country but worldwide."

He added, "The total fertility rate has dropped to the 0.8 range domestically, which is a phenomenon rarely seen anywhere else," and pointed out, "This shows how severe the economic pain felt by young people is, causing them to delay marriage and childbirth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.