Dating Decline: More Young Japanese Have Never Been in a Relationship

Many Young Japanese Inexperienced in Love

A growing number of young people in Japan are strangers to affairs of the heart. This is according to Japan’s National Fertility Survey, conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in June 2025. The survey asked single people about their dating experience with members of the opposite sex. More than half of respondents aged 18 or 19 said they have never been in a relationship, while for those aged 20 to 34, the percentage was around 30% for women and nearly 40% for men.

The percentage of women with no sexual experience decreased from the 1990s to the early 2000s before rising again from 2005. According to the 2025 survey, 55.1% of those aged 20 to 24, 42.1% of those aged 25 to 29, and 39.7% of those aged 30 to 34 had no experience. The percentage of men with no sexual experience has also been on the rise since 2005, reaching over 40% in 2025 for men aged 25 to 29 and 30 to 34.

The percentage of survey respondents who are not in a relationship with anyone of the opposite sex—whether as a friend, romantic partner, or fiancé—has been rising. In 2025, 65.4% of women and 74.0% of men had no such relationship. One in three men and women also indicated that they are not particularly interested in having a relationship with a member of the opposite sex.

The National Fertility Survey is conducted every five years to gauge attitudes toward marriage and having children. The 2025 survey covered 15,811 single people (42.7% valid response rate) and 10,489 couples (47.9%). The article looks at selected data from the survey targeting single people.

Data Sources

• The National Fertility Survey (Japanese) from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)