Korea's total fertility rate, which was the only member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) below one, fell further to 0.81 last year.



The number of births fell further to the 260,000 range, and the average age of childbirth for mothers was delayed to 33.4 years.





The National Statistical Office announced today (23rd) the 'tentative results of birth and death statistics for 2021'.



Last year, the total fertility rate (average number of births that one woman is expected to have in her lifetime) was 0.81, down 0.03 from the previous year (0.84).



Compared to the decrease of 0.08 from 0.92 in 2019 to 0.84 in 2020, the decrease has slightly decreased, but it is still one of the lowest in the world.



As of 2019, the average total fertility rate of 38 OECD member countries was 1.61.




Korea's total fertility rate has fallen to half the OECD average.



Korea is the only country with a total fertility rate of less than one among 38 member countries and is the 'last place in the world'.



As of 2019, the total fertility rate in Korea was 0.92, the only record in the 0 range, and in 2021, the total fertility rate dropped further.



The total fertility rate in Korea was 1.74 in 1984, first falling to the range of 1, and then dropping to 1.1~1.3 in the 2000s.



After that, it recorded 0.98 people in 2018, down one person, and then continues to climb down to 0.92 people in 2019, 0.84 people in 2020, and 0.81 people in 2021.



The number of births last year was 26,500, the lowest since 1970 when statistics began to be compiled.



This is a decrease of 4.3% (11,800 people) from the previous year (272,300 people).



Last year, the number of births shrank to a third of 709,000 in 1991, 30 years ago, and to half of 560,000 in 2001, 20 years ago.



Noh Hyeong-jun, head of the Population Trends Division at Statistics Korea, said, "The decrease in the number of marriages with the female population in their 30s, the main childbearing age, seems to have contributed to the decrease in the number of births."




The average age of childbirth for mothers was 33.4 years, up 0.2 years from the previous year.



As of 2019, the OECD average is 28.3 years old.



(Photo = Yonhap News)