In 2035, one out of every three Korean men will face the prospect of remaining single for life, and when women are included, the proportion will be one in four, according to a projection by Statistics Korea.

The figures are similar to those in a Japanese government forecast for 2035. But Korea is expected to surpass its neighboring country from then on in terms of the proportion of "never married" people -- those who are not married until they are about 50.

The proportion is calculated by averaging the percentages of single people between 45 and 49 and those between 50 and 54.

Statistics Korea on Thursday released its most recent population projections. Among its predictions were that the proportion of "never married" people will double to 16.6 percent in 2025 and triple to 24.6 percent in 2035 from 8 percent in 2015.