China News Service, Seoul, February 22 (Reporter Liu Xu) The "Preliminary Results of Birth and Death Statistics in 2022" and "Population Trends in December 2022" released by the Korean Statistical Office on the 22nd show that the total fertility rate (childbearing age) of South Korea in 2022 The average number of children born to a woman) is 0.78, a decrease of 0.03 from 2021, the lowest value since relevant statistics began in 1970.
According to Korean media reports, South Korea's total fertility rate has been at the bottom of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries since 2013. In the 2020 statistical rankings, South Korea is the only country with a total fertility rate lower than 1.
Historical data shows that South Korea's fertility rate fell below 4 in 1974, below 3 in 1977, below 2 in 1984, and below 1 in 2018.
South Korea's total fertility rate in 2019, 2020 and 2021 will be 0.92, 0.84 and 0.81, respectively.
The South Korean government predicts that due to factors such as the decrease in the number of marriage registrations, the total fertility rate in South Korea is expected to drop to 0.7 in 2024.
According to preliminary statistics released by the Korea Statistics Office on the 22nd, due to the impact of low birth rate and aging population, the population of South Korea will experience a natural decline for three consecutive years in 2022, and the rate of decline will be the largest in history.
Statistics show that South Korea had 249,000 births last year, 372,800 deaths, and a natural decrease in the total population (that is, more deaths than births) of 123,800 people.
As a result, South Korea's population has declined for three consecutive years since the first natural decline in 2020.
It is predicted that as the low birth rate and aging phenomenon continue, the Korean population will further decrease.
As the rate of decline increases year by year, the total population of South Korea is expected to drop below 50 million by 2045.
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