More young people in South Korea are considering marriage and childbirth as ‘nonessential’

In South Korea, recent government data indicates a shifting perspective among young people towards marriage and childbirth, with a growing number considering them “nonessential.” The data reveals a significant decline in the perceived importance of marriage among women in their 20s, dropping from nearly 53% in 2008 to only 27% last year. Similarly, around 42% of men in the same age group found marriage necessary, marking a 30% decrease over the period.

For South Koreans in their 30s, the positive attitude towards marriage stood at 31.8% for women and 48.7% for men. However, the data also highlights a trend toward viewing children as nonessential, with only 27.7% of people in their 20s and 30s expressing a positive perspective about having no children after marriage in 2015. This figure increased to 44.1% in 2020.

The report indicates that young people in South Korea continue to hold negative views about having children outside of marriage, with only 20% expressing a positive perspective in 2020 compared to 11.1% in 2015. The findings underscore the challenges posed by South Korea’s demographic crisis, characterized by an extremely low birth rate.

Among the reasons cited for not getting married, a lack of financial resources emerged as a prominent factor. Young individuals expressed concerns about the financial responsibilities associated with marriage and parenthood. Some interviewees emphasized the desire to focus on their careers and personal lives without the added pressures and responsibilities of marriage and raising children. The evolving attitudes towards marriage and childbirth underscore the complex socioeconomic factors influencing demographic trends in South Korea.