Multicultural Births Rebound After 12 Years... 7 Out of 10 Are 'Korean Husband and Foreign Wife' Couples

Following three consecutive years of growth in multicultural marriages after COVID-19, the number of children born to multicultural families increased last year for the first time in 12 years. Marriages reached their highest level in five years, while divorces declined after a brief rise the previous year. Amidst low birth rates, multicultural families have become a key foundation for births outside the capital region.
According to the '2024 Multicultural Population Dynamics Statistics' released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 6th, 13,416 children were born to multicultural families last year, up 1,266 (10.4%) from the previous year. This marks the first increase since 2012, when the figure was 22,908. The growth rate was the highest since 2009 (41.5%), and the increase in absolute numbers was the largest since 2011 (1,702).
Children born to multicultural families accounted for 5.6% of all births, a 0.3 percentage point increase from the previous year. After falling from 6.0% in 2020 to 5.0% in 2022, the proportion rose for the second consecutive year to 5.3% in 2023.
Notably, multicultural families are supporting birth rates in regional areas. The proportion of multicultural births outside the capital region was 10.2%, more than three times higher than Seoul's 3.2%. By region, South Jeolla Province (10.2%), North Jeolla Province (9.5%), and Chungnam (8.8%) had the highest shares. As local population decline accelerates, multicultural families are helping to buffer the decrease in births.
The increase in multicultural births is a direct result of the recovery in multicultural marriages. Last year, there were 21,450 multicultural marriages, up 5.0% from the previous year and the highest since 2019 (24,721). Multicultural marriages had plummeted in 2020 (-34.6%) and 2021 (-13.9%) due to COVID-19, but rebounded sharply in 2022 (25.1%) and 2023 (17.2%), marking three consecutive years of growth.
However, multicultural marriages accounted for 9.6% of all marriages, down 1.0 percentage point from the previous year. The Ministry of Data and Statistics explained this was due to an overall increase in total marriages last year.
By type of marriage, Korean husband and foreign wife couples made up 71.2%, followed by Korean wife and foreign husband at 18.2%, and marriages between naturalized citizens at 10.6%.
The average age at first marriage was 37.1 years for husbands and 29.7 years for wives. The most common countries of origin for foreign wives were Vietnam (26.8%), China (15.9%), and Thailand (10.0%). For husbands, the leading countries were the United States of America (USA) (7.0%), China (6.0%), and Vietnam (3.6%).
By region, Gyeonggi Province (19.7%) and Seoul (13.5%) accounted for more than one-third of all multicultural marriages. This suggests that multicultural marriages are expanding beyond rural areas to include those based on study abroad, employment, and other exchanges.
Last year, there were 7,992 multicultural divorces, a decrease of 166 cases (2.0%) from the previous year. After a temporary increase in 2023, divorces are once again on the decline.
The average duration of marriage for divorced couples was 10.3 years. The Ministry of Data and Statistics analyzed that, following COVID-19, increased stability of residence and family settlement have reduced the number of separations.
spring@fnnews.com Lee Bo-mi Reporter