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One of the trending posts in various communities lately is the claim that 'Gen MZ doesn't get driver's licenses'—basically, that people in their 20s are getting them less than before. The evidence cited is the drop in the total number of new license holders and the increase in driving school closures. Reactions range from 'Public transport is so good we don't need them' and 'Cars are too expensive' to 'Driving instructors were rude anyway, so they deserve to go bust.' But I wondered, is that really true? So I looked up the data. Specifically, I decided to check the population size (by age) and the number of people getting licenses from 2019 to 2023 (2023 is the latest available stats). *Source: Korean Statistical Information Service (kosis.kr)

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I compiled the data for ages 16 to 30,

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and specifically looked at the acquisition rates. Turns out, the acquisition rate actually increased in almost every age group. I made a chart. (Excluded ages 16-19 because the % is too low).

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In almost every age group, you can see that the 'license acquisition rate is actually increasing.' Honestly, there isn't a huge difference... but what's certain is it's definitely not decreasing like the news says. Conclusion: It's not that Gen MZ isn't getting licenses; it's that the population of people in their 20s has cratered, so the total number of people getting them is low. (The actual rate is still going up.) Ref 1) Number of new licenses by year and age (The number of new holders is indeed dropping, except for those 28 and older where the birth rate was still holding up).

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Ref 2) Population structure

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Source: Single-Bungle Village Gallery [View Original]