Six Out of Ten Unmarried Individuals Express Willingness to Marry
Emphasis on Economic Stability... Changing Values of Marriage
The number of births has decreased over the past three years, but the proportion of unmarried individuals with the intention to marry has rather increased.
The number of births has decreased over the past three years, but the proportion of unmarried individuals with the intention to marry has rather increased.
According to the "2024 Family and Childbirth" survey released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on May 11, the proportion of unmarried individuals who intend to marry was 62.2%, an increase of 11.4 percentage points compared to 50.8% in 2021. The proportion of those who have no intention to marry also decreased from 11.9% to 6.7%. The proportion of respondents who said they had not yet decided about marriage dropped by 4.5 percentage points, from 23.9% to 19.4%.
More Unmarried Individuals Plan to Have Children Than Married Individuals
When asked about plans for childbirth, those without a spouse showed a stronger intention. Among unmarried individuals, 63.2% responded that they plan to have children, with an average planned number of children at 1.54. In contrast, only 18.0% of married individuals said they plan to have children, with their average number of planned children at just 1.25.
The actual number of births has continued to decline. The average number of children born to women aged 19 to 49 who participated in the survey was 0.85, a decrease of 0.18 compared to 1.03 in 2021. The average number of children planned at the time of marriage also fell to 1.75, down from 1.93 three years ago. The most common planned number of children was two (63.6%), followed by one (22.3%) and three (6.7%).
The most common reason unmarried individuals are reluctant to marry was "satisfaction with their current life" (58.4%), followed by "economic reasons" (11.4%), and "not having met a suitable partner" (10.2%).
There were also differences in reasons by gender. Among women, 63.4% cited satisfaction with their current life, 9.5 percentage points higher than men. Among men, 17.0% cited economic reasons, 10.9 percentage points higher than women.
Unmarried Individuals’ Views on Marriage Shift Toward Practicality
There has also been a noticeable change in the values considered important when thinking about marriage. Currently married individuals cited "love" (81.9%), "partnership" (81.8%), and "economic stability" (53.2%) as the most important factors at the time of their marriage. In contrast, unmarried individuals with the intention to marry ranked "partnership" (82.4%), "love" (78.5%), and "economic stability" (69.8%) in that order. The proportion choosing economic stability has increased significantly.
The researchers analyzed, "There is a clear trend toward valuing partnership and practical conditions over love," and added, "Future marriages are expected to become more selective and rational."
This survey was conducted nationwide with a total of 14,372 men and women aged 19 to 49 and their spouses.
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