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Survey shows Koreans likely to view childbirth as blessing but financial curse

Published: 11 Jan. 2026, 17:38

A nurse looks after a newborn baby at the CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on July 24, 2025. [YONHAP]

A recent survey found that Koreans are more likely than their peers in Germany, Japan, France and Sweden to believe that having children will add happiness to their lives, even as they voiced the strongest concerns about the financial burden of childbirth and child-rearing.

According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on Sunday, researchers surveyed 2,500 adults ages 20 to 49 from five countries — Korea, Germany, Japan, France and Sweden — in 2024 to compare their views on marriage, childbirth and child-rearing.

Among unmarried respondents, Korea recorded the highest share of those who intended to marry at 52.9 percent. Sweden followed at 50.2 percent, then Germany at 46.5 percent, France at 38.2 percent and Japan at 32 percent.

However, that ranking changed when all respondents were asked whether they intended to have children. Sweden came first at 43.2 percent, followed by France at 38.8 percent, Germany at 38.6 percent, Korea at 31.2 percent and Japan at 20.3 percent.

Among those who said they intended to have children, Korea reported the lowest average planned number of children at 1.74. Germany and Sweden tied for the highest at 2.35, followed by France at 2.11 and Japan at 1.96.

A nurse attends to a newborn infant at a hospital in Seoul on Feb. 28, 2024. [YONHAP]

Asked about the impact of having children on their lives, respondents in all five countries most commonly chose “greater joy and satisfaction in life” as the main positive effect. Korea posted the highest agreement rate at 74.3 percent, followed by France at 67.9 percent, Sweden at 64.9 percent, Germany at 62.7 percent and Japan at 57.5 percent.

When it came to the primary negative effect, the most common response across countries was “increased financial burden.” Korea again recorded the highest share at 92.7 percent. Germany followed at 77.6 percent, France at 75.5 percent, Japan at 73.2 percent and Sweden at 65.2 percent.

In other words, Korean respondents expressed both the strongest expectation that childbirth would increase their joy and satisfaction in life and the strongest belief that it would increase their financial burdens.

“The findings suggest that perceptions of financial burden may be linked to Korea’s low total fertility rate,” said the research team, adding that there could be room for improvement if negative perceptions of childbirth are eased and tangible institutional support is strengthened.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]