First-time fall in South Korea's population
People visit a shopping district on New Year’s Eve in Seoul on December 31, 2020.
South Korea’s population fell for the first time in 2020, with more people dying than were born, the government said on Monday, warning that towns in poor regions faced a “crisis of extinction.”
The world’s 12th-largest economy has one of its longest life expectancies and one of its lowest birthrates, a combination that presents a looming demographic disaster.
As of December 31, South Korea had 51,829,023 people, down 20,838 from a year earlier, according to data released by the interior ministry.
Annual births have been falling for years and it added that they had been exceeded by deaths for the first time, 275,815 to 307,764.
“In regions with poor economic, medical and educational infrastructure, the crisis of the extinction of such towns is escalating,” the ministry said.
It called for “fundamental changes” in government policies, including on welfare and education.
According to experts, there are multiple causes for the phenomenon, including the expense of child-rearing and soaring property prices.
