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Elderly man in South Korea: The country is concerned about the country's rapidly aging population
Photo: SOO-HYEON KIM / REUTERS
South Korea already has the lowest birth rate in the world.
Last year, the country once again undercut its own record low.
As reported by the US broadcaster CNN and the British Guardian, among others, 249,000 children were born last year.
The number was published on Wednesday by the South Korean statistical authority.
This means that births in the country have fallen again by 4.4 percent - and have fallen below the 300,000 mark for the first time.
On average, a woman in South Korea is now expecting 0.78 children.
In the previous year, the value was still 0.81.
In order to maintain a stable population, a country needs a birth rate of 2.1 – without immigration.
More deaths than births
In South Korea, the birth rate has been falling since 2015.
In 2020, the country recorded more deaths than births for the first time - a trend that has continued since then.
In 2022, around 372,800 deaths were documented.
The demographic crisis in South Korea is now likely to worsen.
The government in Seoul has been trying for years to fight against the development.
According to experts, the reasons for this include the rising cost of living with wages remaining the same.
A changing attitude towards marriage, gender equality and the demanding work culture also play a role.
Last September, President Yoon Suk-yeol admitted that despite the economic reasons, financial aid alone is not enough to solve the problem.
In the past 16 years, the state has spent more than 200 billion dollars to combat population shrinkage – without success.
Single mothers are still frowned upon
According to CNN, the government has extended paid paternity leave and distributed "baby vouchers" for young parents, but experts believe more is needed: They cite examples such as support for children not only after birth or a far-reaching change in social issues.
Single mothers are still frowned upon in South Korean society.
Couples in non-traditional partnerships are also discriminated against.
South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriage, making adoption processes difficult for unmarried couples.
The government urgently needs new approaches.
With the world's lowest birth rate and a rapidly aging population, there are growing concerns about the strain on South Korea's economy and pension system, which could be exhausted in the coming decades.
Similar developments can also be observed in other Asian countries, including China and Japan.
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