Survey: Record-low share of young Japanese want to marry

A government survey shows the percentage of young single people in Japan who intend to marry has fallen below 80 percent for the first time.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research conducts its National Fertility Survey every five years.

It released the results of its latest survey on Friday.

More than 11,000 single people and married couples responded to the survey, which was conducted in June 2025.

The survey asked unmarried respondents aged 18 to 34 whether they see any benefits to marriage.

Among men, 42.8 percent said they see none, up from 35.3 percent in the previous survey. The figure for women rose from 28.3 percent to 36 percent.

Among unmarried respondents in the same age group, 75.1 percent of men said they intend to marry eventually. That was down from 81.4 percent in the previous survey. The figure for women fell from 84.3 percent to 77.8 percent.

The figures were below 80 percent for the first time for both men and women.

The way couples meet is also changing. Among those who married for the first time in the 2020s, 20.2 percent said they met online, including through dating apps. That was nearly double the 11 percent recorded in the previous survey.

The survey also highlighted changes in attitudes toward having children amid Japan's declining birth rate.

The average ideal number of children among married couples was 2.18, while the average number they planned to have was 1.95. The latter figure fell below two for the first time since the 1977 survey.

Asked why they do not plan to have their ideal number of children, 52.9 percent cited the high cost of raising and educating them. Thirty-five percent said they do not want to have children at an older age.

The institute says it will further analyze why fewer people want to marry and why couples plan to have fewer children than they consider ideal.

It hopes the findings will help policymakers develop measures to address the issues.