[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

Korean youth hold more positive views on marriage and childbearing than their Japanese counterparts, a new survey shows. Both groups, however, identified stable employment, income and reduced financial burdens as the most important conditions for making those goals a reality.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry released the findings Sunday from its "Korea-Japan Youth Awareness Survey." The survey was conducted online in June and July among 4,000 people — 2,000 each from South Korea and Japan — aged 20 to 39.

Among unmarried Korean youth, 81.4 percent said they intend to marry. The figure for Japanese youth was 57.6 percent, 23.8 percentage points lower.

Breaking down the Korean responses, 37.1 percent said they would marry if they met the right person, followed by those who said they would like to marry someday if possible (35.7 percent) and those who said they want to marry right away (8.6 percent). Only 18.6 percent said they have no intention of ever marrying.

Among unmarried Japanese youth, by contrast, 42.4 percent — more than double the Korean figure — said they have no intention of ever marrying. Among those who did express a desire to marry, the most common response was "someday" (35.2 percent), followed by "if I meet the right person" (15.1 percent) and "right away" (7.3 percent).

Official marriage statistics point to a recent rebound in South Korea. According to the Ministry of Statistics, the country's crude marriage rate — the number of marriages per 1,000 people — fell consistently from 9.6 in 1991 to a record low of 3.7 in 2022. After a gradual recovery in 2023 and 2024, last year saw 240,000 marriages recorded, pushing the rate to 4.7 per 1,000 people — up 8.1 percent, or about 18,000 marriages, from the previous year's rate of 4.3. That marks a roughly 27 percent increase from the 2022 trough, and analysts say it signals a reversal of the long-running decline in marriages.

Attitudes toward childbearing also differed sharply. When asked about their ideal number of children, 76.8 percent of Korean youth said they want children. Two was the most popular answer at 52.6 percent, followed by one child (17 percent) and three or more (7.3 percent). Among Japanese youth, only 50.5 percent said they want children. Two was also the top answer in Japan at 28.9 percent, but unlike in Korea, those wanting three or more (12.2 percent) outnumbered those wanting just one (9.4 percent).

Despite the differences in marriage and childbearing intentions, youth in both countries largely agreed on what conditions are needed to act on those intentions. In both Korea and Japan, "stable employment and income for oneself and one's partner" ranked first among conditions for marriage (multiple responses allowed) — cited by 51.8 percent of Korean respondents and 41.1 percent of Japanese respondents. Korean youth also highlighted reduced housing costs and securing a home for newlyweds (47.1 percent) and a more family-friendly environment for childbearing and child-rearing (32.6 percent). In Japan, "no particular conditions" came in second at 33.6 percent. When asked about conditions for raising children with peace of mind, "reducing financial burdens" topped the list in both countries — 56 percent in Korea and 46.7 percent in Japan.

"While there are differences between the two countries in attitudes toward marriage and childbearing, we also found common ground in the importance placed on stable employment, income and reduced financial burdens," a Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry official said. "Finding shared solutions to the common challenges young people in both countries face in their daily lives is exactly the purpose of this exchange committee."


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