S. Korea's population expected to decline sooner than expected: Statistics Korea official

한국 인구감소 시기 당겨진다…"빠르면 5년내 닥칠수도"

South Korea has one of the lowest birthrates in the world, coupled with a rapidly ageing society.
Now the situation looks like it's going to get worse -- experts think the country's population is going to start shrinking several years sooner than expected.
Oh Soo-young tells us more.
South Korea could see its population start falling sooner than expected.
According to a government official, the country's data agency Statistics Korea expects that the population will begin to decline before 2028.
The agency had said previously that the number of South Koreans would likely start shrinking around 2032,... and the birthrate to fall substantially by 2028.
However, noting that the fertility rate in recent years has been sliding faster than expected,... the official hinted that the population outlook will be adjusted in the agency's upcoming report this month.
A presidential committee on the birthrate estimates that around 325-thousand children were born last year,... marking an all-time annual low,... as the birthrate fell to zero-point-nine-seven -- for the first time, less than one child born per woman.
The country already has the lowest fertility rate among the 35 OECD member countries,... whose average in 2017 was one-point-six-eight children.
Korea needs at least two-point-one children born per woman... in order to retain its current population.
Some experts say the figuressuggest an even faster decline in the country's population,... warning it could come within the next five years.
At the same time,... the number of senior citizens is expected to grow dramatically... as many baby boomers start retiring next year,... a concern for the country's balance of population and productivity.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.

------------------------------------------------------------
[Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube]
------------------------------------------------------------
[Visit Arirang TV Official Pages]
------------------------------------------------------------
[Arirang K-Pop]

[mujahidrusydi]

Same situation with Japan and China, maybe they are focus to their career and responsibilities in society..

[HalifaxHercules]

South Korean Government and President Moon have to bear considerable responsibility for the nation's low birth rate including extremely high costs of post secondary education as opposed to subsidizing it completely like Europe or China, lack of procreation incentives such as free child care, mandatory military service for men as its hurting the labour pool along with poor compensation for conscripts, poor working conditions as South Koreans are the world's third most overworked people, a populace that is "Seoul Centric" as over 50% of that nation's population lives in Seoul, just to name a few.

If South Korea wants to get out of its population decline crisis, they need to start working at it, including increasing subsidies for post secondary education, get rid of mandatory military service for males and transform it into a volunteer professional army in order to protect its labour pool, increase subsidies for child care, impose legislation requiring employers to give promotions to women, allow unionization as labour unions are currently illegal in South Korea, give Korean men more time to spend with their families, and so on.

Otherwise, South Korea will be like the "Canadian Atlantic Provinces of Asia", referring to a region of Canada which is also facing a similar problem.

[tofuprogrammer]

Commenting in 2021, after Korea's population declined in 2020

[erikjj]

Yay! It's to crowded in Seoul. And now with so many Koreans in LA this is good news 👍

[shikb]

South Korea has a low birth rate in part because the people who do have children, only have one child. But there’s a whole other group of people who never get married or get married when they’re much older. What I found surprising is that the number of South Korea who are not dating, have no interest in dating, have not been sexually active in the last 12 months, virgins &/or have no interest in having sex.

[calfuray]

I guess none of them going to make a booty call any time soon 😆

[دونالدترامبالحلابالعظيم]

In your face gay kpooper, Japan has 120M people while you only have 50
Japan will fall but you will fall before it LOL