Less than 5 Years Married: One in Three Dual-Income Couples Have No Children

Increasing Positive Perceptions of Childlessness
The Trend of Delaying First Childbirth Continues

Among newlywed couples in their first marriage last year, 3 out of 10 couples were dual-income with no children, known as the 'DINK (Double Income, No Kids)' group, making it the most common couple type.

According to Statistics Korea's '2022 Newlywed Couple Statistics' released on the 18th, out of 815,357 first-marriage newlywed couples who had been married for less than five years, 234,066 couples (28.7%) were dual-income with no children, the largest share.

According to Statistics Korea's "2022 Newlywed Couple Statistics Results" released on the 18th, among 815,357 first-marriage newlywed couples who registered their marriage within the last five years, 234,066 couples, or 28.7%, were dual-income without children, making it the largest group.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Next were dual-income couples with children (232,459 couples, 28.5%), single-income couples with children (185,155 couples, 22.7%), and single-income couples without children (126,531 couples, 15.5%).

In 2015, the DINK group among first-marriage newlywed couples accounted for only 212,733 couples (18.0%). This was less than single-income couples with children (409,014 couples, 34.7%) and dual-income couples with children (292,826 couples, 24.8%).

However, the proportion of the DINK group steadily increased to 21.7% in 2018 and 25.8% in 2020, reaching a record high last year.

The proportion of DINK couples is increasing, while single-income couples with children are steadily decreasing

On the other hand, the share of single-income couples with children, which was the most common newlywed couple type in 2015, steadily declined to 30.0% in 2018 and 26.2% in 2020.

Notably, the DINK group's share surpassed that of single-income couples with children for the first time in 2021, with 27.7% compared to 24.3%.

This trend is interpreted as a result of increased female labor force participation and a growing positive perception of being child-free. According to Statistics Korea's 'Social Trends in Korea 2023' report, positive perceptions of being child-free among people in their 20s and 30s rose from 27.7% in 2015 to 44.1% in 2020, an increase of 16.4 percentage points.

Higher income correlates with a tendency toward fewer average children

The proportion of dual-earner couples with children, which was the most common type of newlywed couples in 2015, steadily decreased to 30.0% in 2018 and 26.2% in 2020.
[Photo by Asia Economy]

Among first-marriage newlywed couples, there is a tendency for the average number of children to decrease as income increases. It is analyzed that although dual-income couples have higher income, the number of couples without children is increasing.

Looking at the average number of children by income bracket, couples with an annual income below 10 million KRW had 0.77 children on average. Those earning between 10 million and less than 30 million KRW had 0.71 children, 30 million to less than 50 million KRW had 0.72 children, 50 million to less than 70 million KRW had 0.66 children, 70 million to less than 100 million KRW had 0.55 children, and those earning over 100 million KRW had 0.57 children on average.

Even among couples who have children, the timing of childbirth is increasingly delayed. Over time, the proportion of couples having their first child after more than five years of marriage was only 5.3% in 2012 but jumped to 11.5% last year, doubling. The number of newlyweds married less than five years who do not have children is increasing.

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