<Anchor> This is a



friendly economic time. Today (28th) I will be with reporter Kim Hye-min. Reporter Kim There is a lot of talk these days about not getting married. So, the unmarried population seems to have increased, but is it actually decreasing?



<Reporter>



Statistics Korea conducted a survey last year and released yesterday's stinging data. I compared the marital status of people over the age of 15 between 2015 and last year, that is, five years ago.



In 2015, the unmarried rate was 31.1%. But last year, it decreased by 0.2 percentage points.



At first glance, just looking at this number, you might think that the number of single people has decreased due to many marriages, but it is not. As the youth population between the ages of 15 and 19 has declined significantly, the total number of singles has also decreased.



In fact, the number of unmarried youth has decreased by more than 740,000 compared to five years ago. Breaking it down by generation, the characteristics are clearly visible.



Only 10-year-old singles decreased. All unmarried people over the age of 20 increased. It is also an optical illusion of statistics created by the low birth rate.



<Anchor> That's



right. If you look at the statistical numbers alone, this is the case, but in the end, people of marriageable age are not getting married very often. Are you talking about this? The number of unmarried people in their 20s and older seems to have increased considerably compared to five years ago.



<Reporter>



You can guess just by looking at the recent social atmosphere. Breaking down by age group, the biggest increase is in the 30s.



In 2015 alone, the unmarried rate in their 30s was 36.3%, but last year it jumped 6.2 percentage points to 42.5%.



In particular, the proportion of 'males' living as 'single' among those in their 30s exceeded 50% for the first time last year. So, one in two men in their 30s is never married.



Still, the percentage of women in their 30s not getting married is relatively low. 33.6%, and one in three was single.



There was another impressive statistic. The National Statistical Office also disclosed the unmarried rate according to education level, and there was a big difference by gender.



<Anchor>



Is that so? How did it make a difference?



<Reporter>



This is a statistic that shows how the rate of unmarried people over the age of 30 changes depending on their educational background.



For men, the percentage of unmarried people was the highest among those who graduated from university 2 or 3 years. over 27%. However, the higher the educational level, such as a four-year university program or graduate school graduation, the higher the rate of unmarried people is on the contrary.



On the other hand, the higher the educational level of women, the higher the rate of unmarried women. So, among those who did graduate school, 22% of women were never married, while only half of men were single.



Based on these statistics, it appears that, in general, the reason why young people, especially women, do not get married is not money or work.



So, even if implemented, the government's one-dimensional policy of releasing subsidies for marriage and childbirth seems unlikely to work.



<Anchor>



Very interesting, that data. As reporter Kim just mentioned, the government provides a lot of cash support because it is difficult for young people to get a job yet, and they are hesitant to marry because the cost of living is a bit low. But I have a feeling that may not work. Last but not least, it's a different topic. They say that the number of young people who are relying on their parents has increased considerably because it is difficult to find a job these days due to the corona virus?



<Reporter>



It seems that getting a job or getting married is not easy for young people living in the era of COVID-19. About 43% of the Korean population over the age of 20 were working on their own to pay for their living expenses.



The number of kangaroos living with the help of their parents was 7.5%.



There is a common belief that people in their twenties are living with the help of their parents because the age of employment is actually much later, but there are 650,000 people in their 30s and 40s who are living with their parents' help. .



One in five adult kangaroos is in their 30s or 40s. The kangaroos should not be dismissed as simply a problem such as 'lack of will'.



We need to find solutions together, such as structural improvements to solve the soaring housing cost burden and the unemployment problem.