There used to be a society where almost everyone got married.

According to the 2020 White Paper on Countermeasures for a Society with a Declining Birthrate, the percentage of men who have never been married at the age of 50 has reached 28.3%.

The lifetime unmarried rate is calculated based on “unmarried people at the age of 50” because it is assumed that once they reach that age, they will never get married again.

It is predicted that the lifetime unmarried rate of men will continue to rise, reaching 29.5% by 2040, and the proportion of single-person households will reach 40%.

2040 is the age at which people who are currently 50 years old will become early elderly. If you lose your job and place to live after retirement and live alone, you may spend endless days without talking to anyone, and you may feel a sense of inexplicable loneliness.

Nowadays, it is common for single men to remain unmarried all their lives, but this is a unique phenomenon that has occurred since the Heisei era.

During the lifetime of those of you who are 50 years old, various changes have taken place, such as the era of free love, women’s advancement into society, and the promotion of non-regular employment. As a result, the number of men who do not or cannot marry has increased dramatically.

Because everyone is unable to get married or chooses not to get married, the lifetime unmarried rate has started to rise, leading to the current situation where there are many unmarried people.

Let’s take a look at the lifetime unmarried rate in the past.

Single men were an overwhelming minority, at 1.3% in 1960 during the period of high economic growth, 5.6% in 1990 at the beginning of the Heisei era, and 12.6% in 2000. Middle-aged unmarried people were rare.

Over the past few decades, we have gone from a society in which almost everyone has been married to one in which one in three people ends their lives unmarried.

Since the era of universal marriage continued, the current increase in the number of single people and single-person households can be said to be historically unprecedented.

Therefore, no one knows what kind of end you will meet as there is no precedent. At least I can see a future that isn’t happy.

What was the reason you didn’t get married?