Half of Unmarried in Japan Do Not Want Children

Around half of the unmarried persons below the age of 30 in Japan have no interest to have children in the future. This startling fact was revealed in a recent survey by a pharmaceutical firm. The burden of childbirth, parenting, and economic concerns are said to be the reason behind it.

This online survey was conducted by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The company took information from 400 respondents aged 18 to 29 years. Around 49.4 per cent said they were not interested in having children. It was the highest percentage in any of the last three annual pregnancy white paper surveys conducted by this pharmaceutical company.

As per gender, 53.0 per cent of men and 45.6 per cent of women showed no interest in becoming parents.

Birth rate is showing steep decline in Japan as more and more Japanese citizens in reproductive age are refraining from having children. According to Japanese government the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 reached a record low of below 800,000 for the first time since its documentation started in 1899. This decline in birth rate came sooner than expected. A 2017 Japan government forecast had stated that births in Japan would fall below 800,000 for the first time in 2033.