Marriages where the woman is older than the man are on the rise in South Korea. One in five couples who tied the knot last year were older women-younger men couples, according to new government data.
According to Statistics Korea’s “2024 Marriage and Divorce Statistics,” released on March 20, a total of 178,734 first-time married couples were issued marriage certificates last year. Among the newlyweds, 35,616, or 19.9%, were older women-younger men couples. This figure more than doubled from 8.8% in the 1990s, climbed to 19.4% in 2023, and reached a record high last year. The proportion of same-age couples also hit a record 16.6%.
Marriages where the groom was older than the bride fell to 63.4%, the lowest in history. Experts suggest that younger generations prioritize factors such as financial stability and physical traits such as looks over age, breaking the long-held “older husband, younger wife” stereotype.
“Women in their early to mid-30s, especially licensed professionals such as doctors or lawyers, are placing greater importance on men’s looks and compatibility over a potential spouse’s age,” said a representative from Duo, a matchmaking company. “Men are also increasingly considering a woman’s financial stability, leading to more marriages with women who are older than men.”
The growing number of dual-income households has also contributed to this shift. Unlike in the past, when women often transitioned into full-time homemakers after marriage, many now juggle both family and career. The labor force participation rate for women aged 30 to 34 has risen sharply from 48.9% in 2000 to 75.7% in 2023, meaning three out of four women in this age group are working or actively seeking employment.
The traditional role of the husband as the sole breadwinner and the wife as the primary homemaker is also fading. Among the 790,067 newlywed couples (married within the last five years) in 2023, 5.7% (44,182 couples) had a working wife while the husband stayed home or took a break from work.
Relationships in the workplace have also contributed to the rise of marriages between older women and younger men. Some men have even married their female bosses. One 43-year-old manager at a major corporation tied the knot with a deputy manager one year his senior. This trend extends to government offices, such as the Sejong Government Complex and Seoul Government Complex, where senior female public officials have entered relationships with younger male colleagues, leading to marriage.
“Women in their early to mid-30s these days look younger and healthier than in previous generations due to improved self-care and health awareness, making age differences in relationships less noticeable,” said a representative from Gayeon, another matchmaking company.
As marriages where the woman is older than the man become more common, the age gap between men and women in first-time marriages is also shrinking. Last year, the average age of men in first-time marriages was 33.86, 2.31 years older than women’s 31.55. This is a noticeable decline from 1990 when the gap was 3.01 years.
Medical advances related to childbirth are another factor in this trend, as more women can now conceive in their mid-to-late 30s. The birth rate for women aged 35 to 39 reached 43 per 1,000 women in 2023, which is 3.2 times higher than in 1993 (13.5 per 1,000 women).
The pattern is even more pronounced in remarriages. Of the 23,022 second marriages recorded last year, 20.6% involved a bride older than the groom—the figure has remained above 20% since 2014.
This trend is exemplified by high-profile celebrity marriages, such as figure skating champion Kim Yuna (35) and singer Ko Woo-rim (30). Actress Gong Hyo-jin (45) and singer Kevin Oh (35) have a 10-year age gap. Last year alone, there were 405 first-time marriages where the bride was at least 10 years older than the groom and 231 remarriages.
