SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - Suddenly, kangaroos seem to be multiplying around the world.
Not in the Australian outback, but in family homes from South Korea to the United States, where growing numbers of young adults are delaying independence and staying in — or moving back to — their parents' houses as soaring housing costs outpace wages.
The once-stigmatized "kangaroo family," in which adult children remain in the parental home, is increasingly becoming an economic necessity rather than a personal choice.
"There is no reason to move out and spend all my salary on housing and living costs," said Park Jae-wook, a 29-year-old office worker who still lives with his parents in southern Seoul despite commuting across the city each day.
"Almost all my unmarried friends live with their parents. It's completely normal now."
In South Korea, 3.53 million households headed by people in their 50s and 60s — more than one-third of the total — lived with unmarried children in their 20s or 30s last year, government data showed.
Among unmarried Koreans in their 30s living with parents aged between 50 and 69, more than three-quarters were employed, underscoring how a steady paycheck no longer guarantees residential independence.
"The rent is simply too expensive," said Oh Eun-ji, 56, who lives with her two adult children.
"It makes perfect sense for them to stay home and save until they get married."
The phenomenon is no longer uniquely Korean.
In China, the rise of so-called "full-time children" has become one of the country's defining social trends. Millions of young adults have returned home, helping with housework and caring for elderly parents in exchange for financial support after a prolonged youth employment crisis. A Peking University report estimated that about 16 million young Chinese fit the description.
Japan has grappled for years with the "8050 problem," where parents in their 80s continue supporting socially isolated children in their 50s, highlighting how prolonged dependence can persist across decades.
The United States is experiencing a similar shift, albeit for different reasons.
Nearly half of Americans under 30 lived with a parent this year, according to Federal Reserve data, while Realtor.com estimated that one-third of adults aged between 25 and 35 remained in the family home. Roughly 70 percent of them were employed, suggesting that affordability rather than unemployment has become the principal obstacle to leaving home.
The common thread running through countries with vastly different economies is a widening mismatch between the cost of independence and what young adults can realistically afford.
Housing prices and rents have climbed far faster than entry-level wages, while stable jobs have become more difficult to secure. Leaving home is increasingly viewed less as a milestone reached upon adulthood than one earned through years of saving.
South Korea illustrates that changing mindset.
A government survey found that more young people now believe they should accumulate sufficient savings before moving out than simply reach adulthood or even secure employment, reflecting a growing belief that financial readiness has become the true threshold of independence.
Employment itself has also become a weaker guarantee of autonomy.
In the United States, where most young adults living with parents already have jobs, analysts increasingly describe the trend as a housing affordability crisis rather than a labor-market problem. Similar pressures are emerging across advanced economies as rents and property prices continue to outpace income growth.
Living with parents can shield young adults from debt and prohibitively high housing costs, allowing them to save money during economically uncertain years.
But when remaining at home becomes the only practical option, economists warn that it delays household formation, marriage, childbirth and first-time home purchases — decisions that ripple across entire economies already struggling with aging populations and falling birthrates.
Parents face mounting pressures as well.
Supporting adult children for longer can postpone retirement, reduce savings and increase household expenses at a stage of life when many expected greater financial security.
The trend also risks widening inequality.
Young adults from wealthier families can accumulate savings while living rent-free, whereas those whose parents cannot provide long-term support may enter adulthood with far fewer opportunities, reinforcing wealth gaps across generations.
"What we are seeing is a common pattern across advanced economies," said Rep. Ahn Sang-hoon of the conservative People Power Party, a former professor of social welfare.
"Declining youth employment and soaring housing prices are making it increasingly difficult for young people to become independent."
Ahn argued that governments should shift resources away from short-term spending toward long-term investment benefiting younger generations, warning that artificial intelligence and robotics could further weaken employment prospects.
"Older generations need to shoulder more of the burden while governments invest for future generations under fiscally sustainable policies," he said. "Otherwise, short-term populism will simply leave young people carrying an even heavier burden."
Key Takeaways
-
Young adults living with parents are becoming a global norm as housing costs outpace wages. From South Korea and China to Japan and the United States, even employed young people are delaying residential independence because rent and home prices have risen faster than entry-level incomes.
-
The rise of “kangaroo families” could deepen demographic and economic challenges. Prolonged dependence on parents may delay marriage, childbirth, household formation and first-time home purchases, while increasing financial pressure on parents approaching retirement.
-
Intergenerational inequality could worsen without youth-focused housing and employment policies. Young adults from affluent families can save money while living rent-free, but those without parental support face greater financial insecurity, as AI, automation and unstable employment threaten to further narrow their path to independence.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.