<div><p>More couples got divorced and fewer people married amid an economic downturn in South Korea last year, adding to fears about the nation's already low birthrate, data showed Monday.</p><p>Statistics Korea reported the number of weddings between January and November last year fell 5.4 percent year-on-year to 273,600.</p><p>The number of divorces rose 9.5 percent year-on-year to 115,800 during the same period, the statistical office said in a report.</p><p>It said the number of babies born between January-November last year decreased 4.0 percent year-on-year to 414,100.</p><p>"The economic downturn, which makes it hard to find jobs, may have led to delayed marriages and more divorces," a Statistics Korea official told AFP.</p><p>The country is already waging a uphill battle to raise its birthrate amid fears of a rapidly ageing society.</p><p>The birthrate -- the average number of babies born during a woman's lifetime -- remained near the world's lowest at 1.19 in 2008 and there are fears the population will begin shrinking within a decade.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=67729127&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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