SEOUL, May 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's cost of raising children grew last year, an education ministry survey showed Tuesday.
The monthly average per-household cost of bringing up children, including those for childcare, education, food and clothing, totaled 1,116,000 won (801 U.S. dollars) in 2024, up 140,000 won (101 dollars) compared to 2021, according to the Ministry of Education.
The percentage of total childcare costs to household income declined to 17.8 percent in 2024 from 19.3 percent in 2021.
The result was based on a poll of 2,494 households and 3,058 daycare centers between August and December last year. The survey has been conducted every three years since 2004.
The number of infants and toddlers in the surveyed households was 3,007 in 2024, while employment rates for the households reached 97.0 percent for fathers and 64.2 percent for mothers.
Households sending children to daycare centers accounted for 55.3 percent of the total last year, followed by 26.5 percent with kindergartens.
The daily average use of daycare centers ran to 7 hours and 31 minutes, while the figure for kindergartens reached 7 hours and 20 minutes last year. ■
