Less than One Child Per Woman
Last year, South Korea reported its lowest birthrate since the initiation of birth statistics in 1970. The average number of births expected in a woman’s lifetime has dropped to 0.7. Annual births have also fallen below 250,000, intensifying concerns about a “population cliff.”
According to the birth statistics released by the National Statistical Office on Aug. 30, last year’s birthrate was recorded at 0.78, a 0.03 decrease (-0.37%) from the previous year’s 0.81, marking the lowest since 1970. The birthrate index represents the average number of births expected in a woman’s lifetime.
In 1983, the birthrate fell to 2.06, designating South Korea as a low-fertility nation (below 2.1 births). By 2001, it became an ultra-low fertility country (below 1.3 births). Since 2018, with a recorded 0.98, the rate has remained below one birth per woman for five consecutive years. According to the 2021 statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the average birthrate among its 38 member nations was 1.58, with South Korea being the only country with a birthrate below one.
The number of births last year was 249,000, a decrease of 11,000 (-4.4%) from the previous year’s 266,000, marking the first time it has fallen below 250,000 since 1970. Births have plummeted from 1,010,000 in 1970 to 400,000 in 2002 and then to 300,000 in 2017.