The domestic youth population has decreased by 45.4% compared to 40 years ago due to the impact of low birth rates. Additionally, 42.6% of teenagers were found to be at risk of smartphone dependence.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on the 27th the '2025 Youth Statistics' containing this information.
This year's youth population aged 9 to 24 is 7.626 million, a decrease of 2.5% from last year (7.824 million). Compared to 10 years ago in 2015 (9.61 million), it has decreased by 20.7%, and compared to 1985 (13.975 million), it has nearly halved.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family forecasted that this trend of declining youth population will continue. The youth population is expected to shrink to 4.567 million by 2040, and then reach 3.257 million by 2070.
As the youth population shrinks, its proportion of the total population is also on a downward trend. The proportion of youth in the total population was 34.3% in 1985. It then dropped to 19.0% in 2015, and this year it recorded 14.8%. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family projected, "By 2040, it will decrease to 9.1%, surpassing the 10% mark."
In contrast, the population of multicultural students has been steadily increasing. It was recorded at 193,814, a 7.0% increase from the previous year. This is a 41.2% increase compared to five years ago (137,225). Compared to 10 years ago in 2014 (67,806), it has increased about threefold. Accordingly, the proportion of multicultural students in the total student population jumped from 1.1% in 2014 to 3.8% last year.
The issues of smoking and drinking among youth appear to be improving. Last year, 3.6% of middle and high school students surveyed reported having smoked in the past month, while 9.7% reported having consumed alcohol. This is a decrease of 0.6 percentage points and 1.4 percentage points, respectively, compared to the previous year. This marks the first time that the percentage of students reporting alcohol consumption was found to be below 10%.
On the other hand, the issue of smartphone addiction among youth has not been resolved. Last year, 4 out of 10 teenagers (42.6%) were found to be in the "smartphone dependence risk group." This is an increase of 2.5 percentage points from 2023. Compared to 2019 (30.2%), it has increased by more than 10 percentage points.
The mental health of youth also appears to be worsening. Last year, 42.3% of middle and high school students reported feeling stressed in their daily lives, an increase of 5 percentage points from the previous year. Additionally, the percentage of those who experienced feelings of depression in the past year rose to 27.7%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points.