A growing number of married couples in Korea are opting to have no children as the cost of raising them continues to soar.

Statistics Korea on Monday said nine percent of women who tied the knot between 2005 and 2009 have decided not to have children. The proportion has risen from just two percent of those who married between 1980 and 1984.

The number of children women now have is also dwindling, with the number of expected children (existing plus planned) among women who got married between 2005 and 2009 at just 1.91. For women who married between 1950 and 1954, the number of expected children was 4.49. That means there will be fewer than 2.1 children born per couple, the minimum number of children necessary to maintain population growth.

But in reality, the birthrate among women of childbearing age barely stands at one child.