"Gray divorces" in Korea surpassed "newlywed divorces" last year for the first time since statistics began in 1990, marking a significant shift in the country's divorce landscape. Analysts attribute the change to an aging population that has increased the middle-aged and senior demographic while reducing the number of young couples likely to divorce in their early years of marriage.
According to data released Wednesday by Statistics Korea, the number of divorces among couples married for 30 years or more reached 15,628 last year. That figure exceeded divorces among couples married for less than five years, which stood at 14,392, by 1,236 cases.
Gray divorces have increased for two consecutive years since 2024, while newlywed divorces have declined for six straight years from 2020 through last year.
The situation was the opposite when the statistics were first compiled in 1990. At that time, newlywed divorces totaled 18,053, roughly 49 times the 368 gray divorces recorded. Even in the 2000s, newlywed divorces outnumbered gray divorces by 26,000 to 35,000 cases annually, but the gap narrowed rapidly over time.
In 2018, the difference between the two groups fell below 10,000 for the first time at 9,629 cases, before shrinking to just 114 in 2024. Last year, gray divorces finally overtook newlywed divorces.
The share of older adults is also rising noticeably in divorce counseling. According to counseling statistics released by the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations in February, among 4,013 divorce consultations with women last year, those aged 60 or older accounted for 22.1% of the total. The ratio has nearly quadrupled over two decades from just 5.8% in 2005.
Experts point to demographic changes as the backdrop for this trend. As the population ages, the proportion of middle-aged and older adults has grown while the share of those in their 20s and 30s has declined.
According to Statistics Korea's population projections, the share of people aged 50 or older accounted for 45.14% of the total population last year, nearly double the 23.69% recorded 20 years earlier. In contrast, the proportion of those in their 20s and 30s fell from 33.75% to 25.37% over the same period.
As a result of the demographic cliff, the number of newlywed couples—the pool of potential young divorcees—has shrunk, while the number of long-married couples aged 50 and over has grown, reshaping the overall divorce picture.
Social and economic changes have also played a role. While single-income households were common in the past, the generation born in the 1970s, who now form the core of those in their 50s, includes more highly educated women with economic independence. At the same time, more men than before are accustomed to cooking, cleaning, and other household tasks, easing the psychological burden of living alone after divorce, some observers say.
The recent surge in housing prices is also cited as a factor contributing to the rise in gray divorces. As real estate values climb, the share each spouse can secure through asset division grows larger. The rise in home prices has partly eased the economic anxiety that previously deterred couples from divorcing, analysts say.
Some argue that the statistical rise in gray divorces may also reflect "sham divorces" by middle-aged and older owners of high-priced homes seeking to reduce their tax burden. Because asset division through divorce is treated as the splitting of joint property, it does not trigger gift taxes as ordinary transfers would, and some are exploiting this distinction.
"I Can't Cook for You Anymore"… Surge in Gray Divorces Among 60-Somethings Also Drives Sharp Rise in Single-Person Households in Seoul
