12 July, 2024
Welcome to South Korea, the only country where women in their early 40s outdo those in their early 20s in having babies. Thanks to sky-high late marriages and even later childbearing, this nation leads the world in demographic absurdity. According to Statistics Korea, last year, 11,110 men aged 40 to 44 tied the knot for the first time, a staggering 11.4 times more than in 1990. Meanwhile, 5,341 women in their early 40s also entered their first marriage, an eye-popping 18.2 times increase over the past 33 years.
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| The red line of the graph indicates the number child birth from thousand women of age 40 to 44 and the gray line presents child birth of women age 20 to 24, Data/National Statistics agency |
Once upon a time, first marriages in the early 40s ranked fifth, but by 2009, they had leaped ahead of the early 20s, securing fourth place. Fast forward, and first marriages in the late 20s, once the prime age for nuptials, slipped to second place, overtaken by early 30s marriages. Last year, this trend continued its relentless march. Now, men and women in their mid-30s, who used to be labeled "bachelor" and "bachelorette," are finally saying "I do," as exemplified by Choi Mo (36) and Hwang Mo (34) who recently married in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province.
With the rising age of marriage comes a predictable slowdown in births. In 2000, women in their early 20s had a fertility rate of 39.2 (births per 1,000 women), a colossal 14.5 times higher than those in their early 40s (2.7). But by 2020, the fertility rate for women in their early 40s overtook that of women in their early 20s. Last year, early 40s women clocked in at 7.9 births, more than double the rate for their early 20s counterparts (3.8).
According to the OECD, South Korea stands alone among its 38 member nations where early 40s fertility outpaces early 20s. Even Japan, with its similar penchant for late marriages and births, still has a higher fertility rate in the early 20s (20.8) compared to the early 40s (12.4).
But let’s not forget the costly consequences. Over 28 percent of these late-born children face physical and mental disabilities, according to recent medical stats. This trend not only exacerbates the world’s lowest birth rate but also strains the social security system and bloats the government’s welfare budget. So, while South Korea might lead the world in demographic peculiarities, it’s paying a steep price for its dubious honor.