64% of Single Adults Live with Parents: "Economic Resources Needed for Independence"

Only 3.2% of Married Individuals Cohabit... Employment and Marital Status Affect Independence
"Recent Increase in Late and Non-Marriage Delays Timing of Residential Independence"

A survey revealed that 64.1% of single adults live with their parents, whereas only 3.2% of married adults live with their parents.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A study has found that 3 out of 10 adults in South Korea live with their parents without becoming independent.

According to a recent research report published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on the 28th, 29.9% of men and women aged 19 to 49 were found to be living with their parents. This result is based on the "Family and Fertility Survey" conducted last year on 9,999 households and 14,538 individuals, analyzing cohabitation with parents, economic independence, and other factors.

When categorized by marital and employment status, 64.1% of unmarried adults and 43.6% of unemployed individuals were living with their parents. Conversely, only 3.2% of married people lived with their parents, and 23.5% of those employed continued to live with their parents.

According to the statistics, marriage was the biggest incentive for independence. Respondents cited "because I got married" (36.4%) as the main reason for becoming independent from their parents. Other reasons included "because the distance to school was far" (28.0%), "because the distance to work was far" (20.9%), and "because I wanted to be independent" (7.3%).

By age group, the highest percentage of those who responded that they had "no experience of independence" was 66.8% among 19-24 year-olds. This was followed by 33.6% for ages 25-29, 15.3% for 30-34, 5.9% for 35-39, 4.2% for 40-44, and 4.0% for 45-49.

The research team interpreted this as showing that social and cultural approval as well as economic resources are necessary to leave the parental home and achieve residential independence.

The team also analyzed, "The recent increase in late marriage and non-marriage appears to be delaying the timing of residential independence," adding, "The age of residential independence is widely spread from the late teens to the late 30s, so adult children leaving their parents' home is not fixed to a specific age group but occurs selectively depending on events such as employment or marriage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.