Japan survey puts young adults' marriage plans below 80% for first time
Among unmarried Japanese aged 18 to 34, 24% of men and 21.5% of women now report that they do not intend to marry during their lives.
- For the first time since a 1982 survey began, the percentage of Japanese adults aged 18-34 who expect to eventually marry has fallen below 80%.
- The survey found that only 75.1% of men and 77.8% of women in this age group plan to marry, a drop of over six percentage points for both since 2021.
- Correspondingly, the number of young adults ruling out marriage has increased, with 24% of men and 21.5% of women now saying they do not plan to marry.
- A growing number of respondents see no benefits in marriage, with an official linking the declining desire to marry to a reduced fear of loneliness while living alone.
For the first time since the survey of unmarried people began in 1982, fewer than four in five Japanese men and women aged 18 to 34 expected to marry eventually.
Findings released by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research on Friday (September 11) put the rates at 75.1% for men and 77.8% for women, based on responses from 3,459 people in this age group.
Each figure was more than six percentage points lower than in 2021.
At the other end of the scale, 24% of men ruled out marriage altogether, an increase of 6.7 points, while the corresponding figure for women rose by 6.9 points to 21.5%, crossing the 20% threshold for the first time.
Marriage was also regarded as offering no benefits by 42.8% of men and 36% of women, with both rates up by about seven points.
Fewer respondents associated marriage with having children or forming a family, gaining peace of mind or becoming more financially secure.
An official at the welfare ministry-affiliated institute linked the weaker appetite for marriage and children to changing attitudes and experiences.
“More people believe they will not feel lonely even if they continue living alone, while more people have never interacted with infants, and these trends are also linked to the low desire to marry and have children,” the official explained.
Conducted in June last year, the survey covered unmarried people aged 18 to 54 and married couples whose wives were under 55.
Researchers received 6,756 valid responses from unmarried participants and 5,024 from couples.
The preceding survey took place in 2021.
The responses from married couples also showed that about 20% of those in their first marriage for less than five years had met online.
This was twice the share recorded previously and was approximately equal to the proportions who met through work or were introduced by friends or siblings.
The average number of children considered ideal by married couples slipped slightly to 2.18. One in every 4.4 couples had undergone infertility testing or treatment.
