Gwangju City Releases Gyeonggi Province's First 'Youth Statistics'...to be Used as Foundation for Youth Policy

[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong Reporter] Gwangju City announced on the 30th that it has released ‘Gwangju City Youth Statistics,’ marking the first comprehensive analysis of youth life across all sectors for the purpose of ‘creating a city where young people thrive’ within Gyeonggi Province.

These statistics were compiled as part of a regional specialized statistics project pursued by the Digital Information Division to establish a basic plan for youth statistics by the Regional Economy Division, and were created for the first time among 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province in collaboration with the Gyeonggi Regional Statistics Office.

Gwangju City's youth statistics are administrative statistics that link and analyze administrative data and various statistical data targeting youth residing in Gwangju City as of November 1 last year.

The statistics encompass 9 sectors and 79 items covering population, households, population movement, economy, employment, entrepreneurship, welfare and health, and awareness.

According to the statistics, the youth population aged 15-39 totaled 110,219, accounting for 27.7% of the total population.

Youth households numbered 29,339, of which single-person households accounted for the highest proportion at 39.4%. In terms of youth population movement, net inflow reached 2,133 people, recording a net migration rate of 1.9%.

Lee Hyung-ran, Director of the Digital Information Division, said "The employment rate for economically active youth was 62.5%, with an unemployment rate of 4.0%, while the proportion of economically inactive youth increased to 34.8% compared to the previous year, and registered youth business owners numbered 14,218, accounting for 12.8% of the youth population."

In the welfare and health sector, the health screening rate for youth was 70.8%, while youth experiencing depression was 3.2%, showing a slight increase from the previous year.

In the awareness survey, 36.7% responded that ‘marriage is essential,’ and child-rearing and education expenses as well as housing costs were most frequently cited as causes of low birth rates.

Meanwhile, Gwangju City Youth Statistics can be found on the Gwangju City website under statistical information in information disclosure.

Mayor Bang Se-hwan stated, "We will utilize youth statistics as foundational data for establishing the Second Basic Plan for Youth Policy and will implement policies tailored to youth needs and local conditions."