S. Korea birthrate falls to record low

[Wang]

S. Korea birthrate falls to record low

South Korea's birthrate fell to 1.08 last year, maintaining the lowest in developed countries, said a report of the National Statistical Office (NSO) Tuesday.

The birthrate, or the average number of babies born to a woman aged between 14 and 49, last year was fewer than a quarter of the 1970 rate, which stood at 4.53, the report said. In 2005, there were 438,000 births in the country, 38,000 fewer than in 2004, the lowest figure since the NSO began tracking the date in 1970.

South Korea's birthrate was the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in 2004, when its birthrate was 1.16, lower than Japan's 1.29, Sweden's 1.71, Britain's 1.73, France's 1.89 and the United States' 2.04. The Korea Times attributed the reason to the unstable job market and increased financial burden in raising children.

According to a poll by a Korea Institute of Health and Society, 49.9 percent of working mothers have had to abandon their jobs after having their first child, while families with two children spend more than half of the income of parents on education.

"If the birthrate remains at the current level, Korea's population may fall below 40 million in 2050," Kim Yong-hyun, director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, told local media, warning that South Korea might be an aged society earlier than expected.

Experts warn that the current birthrate would lead the country to an aged society, where people aged 65 and over take up for more than 14 percent of the population, within 18 years. It would take 24 years for Japan and 72 years for the United States. Enditem

SEOUL, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Editor: Liu Dan



Link to the article.

 

[nice gaijin]

Interesting that Japan is not the only developed country with a depressing rate of population growth... is there any speculation as to why Korea's birth rate is so low?

 

[Wang]

Interesting that Japan is not the only developed country with a depressing rate of population growth...

There are many developed countries (most of them are in Europe) who's birth rates are lower then minimum to maintain their current population sizes which results in the greying of their society and eventually shrinking of the population.

This can be countered by increasing reproduction rates somehow or get more immigrants to reduce the population decline and, or let it happen and wait until there is a upward population growth trend again.

What makes South Korea interesting in this case is that it's birthrate is the lowest of all developed countries with only 1.16.

is there any speculation as to why Korea's birth rate is so low?

In the article they say it's because of a unstable job market and increased financial burden in raising children. And families with two children spend more then half of their income on their education.