Young Koreans want spouses, but not kids. A new study reveals why.
Published: 14 Aug. 2025, 21:39
![A nurse looks after a newborn baby at the CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on July 24. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/14/0572eaac-6a6e-4683-a5c9-fd3ca1ddea7b.jpg)
A nurse looks after a newborn baby at the CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on July 24. [YONHAP]
It turns out young Koreans have too much on their mind when it comes to having children — which is why they don't.
A study revealed Thursday that young Koreans consider more factors when deciding to have children than their peers in Germany, Japan, France and Sweden do — and are also more concerned about finances and opportunity costs. The findings suggest that structural issues such as work-life balance, perceptions of inequality and social unfairness are the key drivers of Korea’s ultralow birthrate.
The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs has published the August issue of its “Health and Welfare Forum,” which includes the results of a survey conducted from June to September of last year. The poll gathered responses from 2,500 adults aged 20 to 49 in each of five countries: Korea, Germany, Japan, France and Sweden.
When asked about marriage intentions, Koreans showed the highest rate at 52.9 percent, followed by Sweden at 50.2 percent, Germany at 46.5 percent, France at 38.2 percent and Japan at 32 percent.
However, when it came to the willingness to have children, Korea ranked fourth at 31.2 percent, behind Sweden (43.2 percent), France (38.8 percent) and Germany (38.6 percent), with Japan trailing at 20.3 percent. Notably, 47.3 percent of Koreans said they did not intend to have children — a higher rate than Japan’s 45.9 percent.
Among those who did want children, Koreans reported the lowest average intended number of children at 1.74. This compares to 2.4 in Germany, 2.35 in Sweden, 2.11 in France and 1.96 in Japan. While Korea’s first-birth rate is not far off the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average, its rate for third or higher-order births is among the lowest.
Koreans also rated all possible considerations — including household finances, housing conditions and concerns about career interruption — more highly than respondents in the other countries did. In particular, 50.1 percent of Koreans said that “future uncertainty” was a very important factor, compared to 30.5 percent of Japanese respondents who said so and 22.5 percent of those based in Sweden.
![Newborn babies are pictured at the CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on July 24. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/14/0cc81a8a-7ee2-4c26-9123-82e0b2bd5636.jpg)
Newborn babies are pictured at the CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on July 24. [YONHAP]
When asked about the impact of childbirth on quality of life, 59.9 percent of Koreans said they strongly believed that having children increases financial burdens. This figure was significantly higher than those recorded in France (35.6 percent), Japan (35 percent) and Sweden (25.2 percent). Koreans also led in agreement with the statements that having children reduces personal freedom and limits job opportunities for oneself or one’s spouse.
In terms of balancing work, chores and parenting, 57.6 percent of Korean respondents reported difficulty — higher than Japan at 55.8 percent, France at 47.3 percent and Sweden at 23.2 percent.
Social perceptions also played a role. Koreans gave the lowest score — 2.35 out of 5 — when asked whether they believed their society was generally fair. They also showed the most negative views on income inequality and the concentration of wealth among the top 1 percent.
“Attitudes toward marriage, childbirth and parenting are not simply matters of individual choice,” the researchers wrote. “They reflect broader structural conditions such as work-life balance, career sustainability and institutional effectiveness. Population policy must accompany structural reform.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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