Nearly 7 in 10 South Koreans believe that couples can live together without getting married, and almost 40 percent support having children without getting married first, a government report showed, signaling a substantial shift in perceptions around marriage and having children.

The report was based on a survey, conducted by Statistics Korea in May 2024, involving 36,000 respondents aged 13 years and older. The survey is conducted biennially.

The findings showed that 67.4 percent of respondents believe couples can live together without being married, up 2.2 percentage points from the tally two years ago.

When asked why they might choose not to marry, the most common reason was not having enough money to do so, which came to 31.3 percent.

The survey showed 15.4 percent of respondents cited concerns about the cost of raising children, followed by job instability at 12.9 percent, lack of interest at 11.3 percent and concerns about being able to balance marriage with one’s career at 9.1 percent. (Yonhap)