1 in 4 households in South Korea now consist of 2 people: data

Marriages rose last year, but more couples not having kids

A groom and bride at a wedding ceremony (Yonhap)

Two-person households in South Korea accounted for nearly 25 percent of all households in the country at the end of 2024, exceeding 6 million for the first time, government data showed Thursday. In comparison, single-person households surpassed 10 million, while three-person households remained stable at around 4 million.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration data, a total of 6,005,284 registered residents nationwide are living in two-person households, such as couples without children or those whose children have moved out, as of December last year.

That is the highest figure since the ministry began compiling related data and accounts for 24.9 percent of the 24 million total households in the country, indicating that one in four households consists of two people.

The number of two-person households has steadily increased over the years, rising from 4,929,337 in December 2018 to 5,129,120 in 2019. The upward trend continued in subsequent years, with 5.4 million in 2020, 5.61 million in 2021, 5.74 million in 2022, and 5.86 million in 2023.

While two-person households have grown rapidly, three-person households, typically consisting of parents and a child, have remained relatively stable at around 4 million over the past decade, data showed. As of December 2023, the number of three-person households stood at 4,052,362.

The sharp rise in two-person households can be attributed to a slight increase in marriages here, along with a growing number of “dual-income, no kids” couples.

The number of marriages in November last year stood at 18,581, a 11.3 percent increase from 1,887 cases in the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Researches show the burden of child-rearing, housing costs and education expenses is causing couples to delay or give up having children entirely.

A report released by the Korea Labor Institute in May last year showed that 27.1 percent of married couples in their 20s and 30s were childless, as of 2023, an increase of nearly 5 percentage points from 22.2 percent in 2013.

“It is necessary to strengthen policies to expand housing support or improve work-life balance so that young, childless couples, whose main concern is economic stability, can feel secure enough to have children,” said Kwon Ik-seong, a senior researcher at the KLI.