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Marriages rise in Seoul, divorces fall — except among 60 and up

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 17:40

A wedding ceremony demonstration is held at Seoul Women's Plaza in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. [YONHAP]

The number of marriages among Seoul residents rose for the second consecutive year, while divorces fell overall. But so-called twilight divorces among those 60 and older have sharply increased, city data showed.

Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday released a report with a title that roughly translates to "Changes in Marriage and Family Structure of Seoul Residents," with statistics based on national census and demographic survey data. The report analyzed trends in marriage, divorce, family values and household structures.

Marriages, which had declined steadily from 2000 until the Covid-19 pandemic, have recently rebounded. After rising from 35,752 in 2022 to 36,324 in 2023, the figure jumped to 42,471 in 2024, marking two consecutive years of growth.

The average age for a first marriage was 34.3 for men and 32.4 for women, higher than in the past. International marriages accounted for about 10 percent of all marriages.

Divorces, meanwhile, have been on a downward trend. After peaking at 32,499 in 2002, the figure steadily declined to 12,154 last year. The average age at divorce last year was 51.9 for men and 49.4 for women, more than a decade older than in 2000, when it was 40.8 and 37.4, respectively.

However, divorces among older adults surged. In 2000, divorces involving people 60 and older accounted for only 3 percent of cases. By 2024, that figure had risen to about 25 percent.

The JTBC drama series ″Can't Take It Anymore″ (2014) depicts an older married couple going through a ″twilight divorce,″ separating after decades of marriage [JOONGANG ILBO]

In 2024, Seoul recorded 4,006 international marriages — 2,633 involving Korean husbands and foreign wives, and 1,373 involving foreign husbands and Korean wives. Most foreign spouses came from China, Vietnam and Japan.

One-person households made up the largest share of households in Seoul, with about 1.66 million such households, or 39.9 percent of the total, surpassing two-person households at 26.2 percent and four-person households at 12.3 percent.

Multicultural households numbered around 78,000, with over 200,000 members in total. Most were formed through international marriages, but families including naturalized citizens and second-generation multicultural children are also increasing.

Nonkin households, defined as two or more people living together without marriage or blood ties, more than doubled from 60,000 in 2016 to over 120,000 in 2024. Growth was especially strong among people in their 20s and 30s.

Children participate in a festival celebrating multicultural families at a venue in Busan on Sept. 2. [YONHAP]

Households with infants and single-parent households are decreasing. Families with young children fell from about 350,000 in 2016 to 200,000 in 2024, a drop of over 40 percent in eight years. The number of infants also declined from 440,000 to 240,000 over the same period, reflecting Korea's low birthrate.

Single-parent households decreased from 320,000 in 2016 to 280,000 in 2024. Among them, “mother and unmarried children” families accounted for about 68 percent, while “father and unmarried children” families made up about 16 percent.

Based on these findings, Seoul said it will strengthen tailored care, housing and welfare policies for one-person and older households, while expanding institutional support for multicultural and nonkin households. Plans include housing and job measures for youth, work-life balance support for middle-aged residents and social network programs for seniors.

“Since the pandemic, family structures and values in Seoul have been changing rapidly,” said Kang Ok-hyun, head of Seoul’s Digital City Bureau. “We will promote policies to prevent isolation and loneliness, ensure stable housing for young people and create child-friendly environments so that no one is left behind.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY MOON HEE-CHUL [[email protected]]