Customers in their 50s have become one of the major purchasers of automobiles, while those in their 30s bought less, data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association showed Thursday.

Thirty-somethings bought a total of 144,360 vehicles in the first half of this year, dropping by 11.1 percent compared to the same period last year. Those in their 30s made up 18.2 percent of the total number of buyers, down 1.8 percentage points on-year.

The percentage has continued to decline. The association said that a rise in unemployment and decline in actual income appear to have brought about the change, along with the rising trend of car sharing or using rental services among the younger generation.