South Korea's young population has been steadily decreasing over several decades, amid a rising elderly population and a persistently low birth rate.
South Korea's Ministry of Information and Statistics revealed that the proportion of young people in South Korea has continuously declined over several decades, alongside an increasing elderly population and consistently low birth rates. In 2024, the number of people aged 19-34 stood at 10,404,000, representing 20.1% of the total population.
The share of young people within the total population has steadily decreased from 28.0% in 2000 to 22.9% in 2010 and 21.1% in 2020.
The proportion of unmarried men aged 30-34 surged from 28.1% in 2000 to 74.7% in 2024, while unmarried women in the same age group rose from 10.7% to 58.0%. Among men aged 25-29, the unmarried rate increased from 71.0% to 95.0%, and for women aged 25-29, it rose from 40.1% to 89.2%.
The burnout rate among young people, characterized by physical and mental exhaustion, slightly declined from 33.9% in 2022 to 32.2% in 2024. Meanwhile, the suicide rate for young people was 24.4 per 100,000 population in 2024, continuing an upward trend for the second consecutive year, up from 22.0 in 2022.
For the 15-29 age group in 2024, employment rates were 43.7% for men and 48.4% for women. Among those aged 30-34, employment rates were 86.6% for men and 73.5% for women.
The broad unemployment rate—which includes those working less than 36 hours a week but wanting more work, those temporarily unavailable for work during the survey, and those not actively job seeking but ready to work—peaked at 25.1% for ages 15-29 in 2020. It then steadily declined to 23.1% in 2021, 19.0% in 2022, 16.6% in 2023, and 15.6% in 2024.
Source: Xinhua
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