TOKYO - More than 30 per cent of unmarried people aged between 18 and 34 in Japan do not wish to have children, the highest percentage since comparable data became available in 2002, a government survey showed Friday, Kyodo News reported.
According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research survey, the average desired number of children was 1.30 for male respondents and 1.36 for female respondents, both record lows.
Among men, 33.0 per cent said they did not want any children, up 9.8 percentage points from the 2021 survey. The figure for women rose 8.8 points to 32.4 per cent.
An institute official said changing lifestyles and values, as well as financial concerns, may be contributing to the decline in young people's desire to have children.
The institute has conducted surveys on birth and marriage trends almost every five years since 1940. The latest survey was conducted as of June 2025. - BERNAMA