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Fewer marriages among young Indonesians hurts wedding industry
The share of young married individuals has continued shrinking to 30.61 percent last year from 44.45 percent a decade ago, while the share of unmarried young individuals has risen to 68.29 percent in 2023 from 54.11 percent in 2014.
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T
he wedding industry is feeling the pinch of demographic change as the number of marriages in Indonesia has plummeted in recent years.
Last year, the archipelago only saw 1.57 million couples tying the knot, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), a fall from over 2 million in 2018.
Meanwhile, the share of young married individuals has continued to shrink to 30.61 percent last year from 44.45 percent recorded a decade ago, BPS data shows. Meanwhile, the share of unmarried young individuals has risen over the past years to 68.29 percent in 2023 from 54.11 percent in 2014.
Yunarsih, who chairs the Indonesian Wedding Organizer Association (Hastana), said that fewer marriages over the past years have taken a toll on the industry.
“Hotels and wedding organizers for the middle to upper scale were affected [by this trend],” she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, adding that in past years organizers would see a peak season around year-end, but this year it has been slow.
Read also: Rising concerns over fertility rate and the government's worrisome response
Many Indonesians see marriage as a burden, with more young adults opting to pursue a career, an education or socializing and traveling, according to Kompas. Some young people also prefer not to have children, while others suggest one can live without being formally married.
