On December 6, the marriage information company DUO conducted a survey asking men and women in their 20s and 30s about the qualifications for an ideal spouse in 2023.

According to the survey, the ideal qualifications by unmarried women for a husband were:

Height: 178.7 cm (5'10")

Average annual income: 60.67 million KRW (46,176.06 USD)

Assets: 334.91 million KRW (254,916.18 USD)

Age: 2 years older

Education: 4-year college degree

Occupation: General office position

Other important aspects: Personality > Values > Financial ability

Ideal qualifications by unmarried men for a wife:

Height: 164.2 cm (5'5")

Average annual income: 43.77 million KRW (33,315.46 USD)

Assets: 216.92 million KRW (165,098.25 USD)

Age: 2-3 years younger

Education: 4-year college degree
Occupation: General office position

Other important aspects: Personality > Values > Appearance

According to DUO, the preferred occupations for an ideal spouse (up to three choices) were 'general office work' (45.4%), 'government officials or public worker' (34.9%), 'doctor or pharmacists' (21.8%), 'financial industry worker' (19.7%), 'accountants, lawyers, appraisers, tax consultants, and other professional jobs' (17.2%).

The latest data reveals a shift in occupational preferences among potential spouses. There's been a notable rise of 6.1 percent in favoring 'general office work' compared to last year. Additionally, there's a 4.5 percent increase in the preference for 'doctors and pharmacists.' In contrast, the preference for 'teachers' has decreased by 4.4 percent.

The survey revealed preferences for an ideal spouse's occupation. For husbands, the top choices were 'general office work' (43.6%), 'government officials and public works' (30.8%), 'financial industry' (22.8%), 'professional jobs like accountants and lawyers' (22.4%), and 'engineers and IT' (22.0%). For wives, preferences included 'general office work' (47.2%), 'government officials and public works' (39.0%), 'doctors and pharmacists' (22.0%), 'teachers' (17.8%), and 'nurses and medical-related professions' (17.8%).

In terms of desired income for a spouse, men mostly preferred '30 to 40 million KRW' (29.4%), while women opted for 'over 70 million KRW' (22.6%). Men also showed a significant preference for 'income not important' (25.2%) and '40 to 50 million KRW' (19.4%). Women, on the other hand, showed a preference for '50 to 60 million KRW' (19.2%) and '40 to 50 million KRW' (18.0%).

The trend of considering spouse income as 'not important' decreased for both men (25.2%) and women (15.8%), dropping by 9.6 percent for men and 3.6 percent for women compared to the previous year.

The ideal average annual income for a husband was found to be 60.67 million KRW, and for a wife, 43.77 million KRW. Men's average net monthly income was about 4.26 million KRW, while for women, it was 3.19 million KRW.

Over half of the respondents preferred a spouse with 'a 4-year college degree or higher' (56.2% for men and 62.2% for women). The response 'not important' was 35.0% for men and 33.0% for women, with a slight decrease for men and an increase for women compared to last year.

For physical attributes, men most frequently stated that their wife's height is 'not important' (54.2%), followed by preferences for 'less than 165 cm' (22.4%) and '165 cm to less than 170 cm' (17.0%). Women preferred their husband's height to be '180 cm to less than 185 cm' (34.0%), '175 cm to less than 180 cm' (33.8%), and 'not important' (20.8%).

The average height for an ideal spouse was '178.7 cm' for husbands and '164.2 cm' for wives.

When selecting an ideal spouse (up to 3 choices), the top criteria were 'personality' (77.2% for men and 73.8% for women) and 'values' (57.4% for men and 55.4% for women). Men also valued 'appearance' (49.6%), 'hobbies and interests' (29.8%), 'health' (20.0%), and 'economic power' (17.4%). Women emphasized 'economic power' (42.2%), 'appearance' (36.2%), 'hobbies and interests' (23.6%), and 'family environment' (23.6%).