韓國(guó)統(tǒng)計(jì)廳新近發(fā)布的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，韓國(guó)結(jié)婚人數(shù)在過(guò)去十年間下降了40%之多。韓國(guó)年輕人的結(jié)婚意愿也大幅降低，想要結(jié)婚的韓國(guó)女性比例只有28%。

The number of marriages recorded in South Korea saw a drop of 40 percent over the last ten years, giving pause to the government which is already dealing with a declining birthrate.

數(shù)據(jù)顯示，韓國(guó)結(jié)婚人數(shù)在過(guò)去十年間下降了40%，讓本已為出生率下降而頭疼的韓國(guó)政府不得不認(rèn)真考慮這一問(wèn)題。

The number of marriages recorded in 2023 was 193,673 while it was 322,807 in 2013 – which shows a decrease of 40 percent within a decade.

2023年韓國(guó)有193673對(duì)情侶登記結(jié)婚，而2013年登記結(jié)婚的情侶有322807對(duì)，十年內(nèi)減少了40%。

According to data from the December 2023 Population Trends Survey by Statistics Korea, last year South Korea experienced significant demographic shifts which were characterised by declines in marriage and birth rates.

韓國(guó)統(tǒng)計(jì)廳發(fā)布的《2023年12月人口動(dòng)向》調(diào)查數(shù)據(jù)顯示，去年韓國(guó)經(jīng)歷了人口巨變，結(jié)婚人數(shù)和出生率都大幅降低。

Another alarming trend, according to the survey, was the sharp fall in second births, which dropped to 91,700 in 2023 – the first time this number has gone below 100,000. This decline is part of a broader trend of decreasing fertility, with the number of second and subsequent births having plummeted by 40 percent since 2018.

調(diào)查揭露了另一個(gè)引人擔(dān)憂(yōu)的趨勢(shì)，那就是二胎出生率的急劇下降。2023年韓國(guó)出生的二胎寶寶數(shù)量降至91700名，首次降到10萬(wàn)以下。這反映出韓國(guó)生育率下降的大趨勢(shì)，自2018年以來(lái)韓國(guó)二胎和三胎以上出生率直線(xiàn)下降，降幅達(dá)40%。

Financial concerns, notably the cost of wedding expenses and housing, are the primary barriers to marriage for many South Koreans in their 20s and 30s, the survey says. These economic challenges surpass other reasons for not marrying, such as a lack of interest in marriage or concerns about the burdens of childbirth and childcare.

調(diào)查指出，許多二三十歲的韓國(guó)年輕人不結(jié)婚，主要是由于經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力，尤其是結(jié)婚花費(fèi)和住房問(wèn)題。其他不結(jié)婚的理由還包括對(duì)結(jié)婚沒(méi)興趣，或者認(rèn)為生養(yǎng)孩子負(fù)擔(dān)太重。

The study disclosed that in 2022, around one-third of South Koreans aged 19 to 34 harboured favourable opinions on marriage, which was a departure from the sentiment in 2012 when over half – 56.5 percent – of this demographic viewed marriage positively.

調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，2022年約有三分之一19歲至34歲的韓國(guó)人認(rèn)為結(jié)婚很好，相比之下，2012年這一年齡段的韓國(guó)人有超半數(shù)（56.5%）期待結(jié)婚。

Breaking it down by gender, 43.8 percent of men were in favour of marriage, in contrast to 28 percent of women – a significant decline from the previous rates of 66.1 percent for men and 46.9 percent for women.

從不同性別來(lái)看，2022年有43.8%的韓國(guó)男性想要結(jié)婚，相比之下，想結(jié)婚的韓國(guó)女性只有28%，相比2012年的66.1%和46.9%大幅下降。

And age-wise, a significant change has occurred among Koreans in their 20s, with a diminishing inclination towards marriage. The marriage rate for those aged 25 to 29 fell from 59.5 percent in 2012 to 36.1 percent in 2022. In the meantime, people aged 30 to 34 displayed the strongest proclivity towards marriage, at 39.2 percent, although this was a decrease from 54.3 percent seen ten years earlier.

從不同年齡段來(lái)看，二十幾歲的韓國(guó)人結(jié)婚意愿顯著下降。25歲至29歲的韓國(guó)人結(jié)婚率從2012年的59.5%降至2022年的36.1%。與此同時(shí)，30歲至34歲的韓國(guó)人的結(jié)婚意愿最強(qiáng)，達(dá)到了39.2%，但相比十年前的54.3也顯著下降。

In 2021, a striking 97.1 percent of children in South Korea were born within wedlock, a rate significantly higher than the OECD average of 60 percent, as per Hankyoreh Shimbun. This means that there is a direct correlation between marriage rates and birth rates in the country, highlighting how changes in the former directly impact the latter.

據(jù)《韓民族日?qǐng)?bào)》報(bào)道，2021年，韓國(guó)多達(dá)97.1%的兒童是婚生子女，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于經(jīng)濟(jì)合作與發(fā)展組織60%的平均水平。這意味著韓國(guó)的結(jié)婚率和出生率之間有著直接關(guān)系，凸顯出結(jié)婚率的改變對(duì)出生率的直接影響。

The decrease in marriages and births is further compounded by the increasing average age of marriage and childbirth, with the average age of women giving birth in 2023 reaching a historic high of 33.6 years.

韓國(guó)女性平均婚育年齡逐年上升，使得結(jié)婚率和出生率下降的問(wèn)題進(jìn)一步惡化。2023年韓國(guó)女性平均生育年齡達(dá)到33.6歲，創(chuàng)下歷史新高。

This demographic shift has contributed to South Korea’s total fertility rate falling to a record low of 0.72 in 2023, indicating that only 72 children were born for every 100 couples.

在人口巨變的影響下，2023年韓國(guó)的總生育率降到0.72的歷史新低水平，這意味著每100對(duì)夫婦只生育出72名小孩。

This rate varies regionally, with Seoul recording the lowest fertility rate at 0.55.

韓國(guó)各個(gè)地區(qū)中，首爾的生育率最低，僅為0.55.

英文來(lái)源：獨(dú)立報(bào)

翻譯&編輯：丹妮

審核：董靜、齊磊