Koreans say children bring happiness, but 92% cite financial burden as deterrent

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Young people in Korea are more likely than their peers in Germany, Japan, France and Sweden to agree that having children would bring great joy, but they also express far stronger concerns about the economic burden of childbirth, a study found.

The findings, drawn from a survey of 2,500 adults aged 20 to 49 in each of the five countries, were published in a report titled “A Study on International Cases of Population Policies” by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on Sunday.

Among respondents who were not married, Korea recorded the highest intention to marry 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.

When all respondents were asked about their intention to have children, however, the ranking shifted. Sweden topped the list at 43.2 percent, followed by France at 38.8 percent, Germany at 38.6 percent, Korea at 31.2 percent and Japan at 20.3 percent.

Among those who expressed an intention to have children, Korea recorded the lowest average planned number at 1.74. Germany and Sweden tied for the highest at 2.35, followed by France at 2.11 and Japan at 1.96.

When asked about the impact of having children on their lives, respondents in all five countries expressed positive views, saying children increase joy and life satisfaction. Agreement was highest in Korea at 74.3 percent, followed by France at 67.9 percent, Sweden at 64.9 percent, Germany at 62.7 percent and Japan at 57.5 percent.

By contrast, when asked about the negative impact of having children on their lives, respondents most strongly agreed with the view that parenthood increases economic burdens. The share was highest in Korea at 92.7 percent, followed by Germany at 77.6 percent, France at 75.5 percent, Japan at 73.2 percent and Sweden at 65.2 percent.

The research team said the findings “suggest a link between economic burdens and Korea’s low total fertility rate.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.