More than 42 percent of 30-somethings in South Korea remained unmarried last year, census data showed Monday, underscoring the trend in which many young people delay or give up on marriage amid a prolonged economic slowdown.
Out of 13.7 million singles aged 15 and older, 2.82 million people in their 30s were single last year, up from 2.68 million five years earlier, according to the 2020 census by Statistics Korea.
The percentage of unmarried people in their 30s reached 42.5 percent last year, up 6.2 percentage points from 36.3 percent in 2015, the data showed.
It marked the first time for the number to top 40 percent for the age group.
By gender, 50.8 percent of men in their 30s remained unmarried, while single women accounted for 33.6 percent.
Many young South Koreans are opting to distance themselves from life's three major milestones ― dating, marriage and having children ― because they cannot find decent jobs amid a protracted economic slowdown and skyrocketing home prices.
Meanwhile, the number of households that raised pets reached 3.13 million last year, accounting for 15 percent of the total. »
