One in Three Unmarried Japanese Have Never Dated

According to a survey conducted by Recruit looking at the reality of relationships and marriage, the percentage of unmarried Japanese aged from 20 to 49 who answered that they are “currently in a relationship” was 29.7%. In contrast, respondents who had never been in a relationship accounted for 34.1%, the highest rate since this survey began.

Looking at people in their twenties who answered that they had “never been in a relationship,” the percentage of men rose by 11.8 points from the previous survey to 46.0%, while that for women increased by 5.5 points to 29.8%. This rise is a continuing trend for both genders.

The percentages for those who “want to get married (at some point),”were 49.3% and 43.5% for women and men, respectively, and even though the percentage of women was higher, it was still significantly lower than for the previous survey.

The most common reason that 40.5% of women gave for why they do not want to get married was because it “puts a limit on my activities and lifestyle,” while the top reason given by 42.5% of men was the “loss of financial leeway.”

The nationwide survey, conducted in early September 2023, targeted unmarried people aged between 20 and 49 years old. Valid responses were received from 1,200 people.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)