By Kang Yoon-seung
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) — Data released on Tuesday revealed that over half of the provinces in South Korea are at risk of a total population decrease, a result of the nation’s critically low birth rate.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance reported that out of the 228 administrative districts, 118, or 51.8 percent, had a population risk index of less than 0.5 in February. This index is calculated by dividing the number of females aged 20 to 39 by the population of those aged 65 and older. A region is classified as a risk-prone area when it falls below 0.5.
First Vice Finance Minister Kim Byoung-hwan highlighted the danger this decrease poses to the regional economy and local communities, as well as the country’s overall economic competitiveness. He urged the creation of jobs in such regions to prevent the outflow of population, and the fostering of regional industries to attract companies and talented workforces.
In June, only 18,615 babies were born, a 1.6 percent decrease from the year before, a record low according to Statistics Korea. In contrast, the number of deaths in the country rose 7.6 percent, resulting in a natural decrease in population by 8,205. This trend of deaths surpassing births has continued for 44 consecutive months.
The total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, dropped to an all-time low of 0.7 in the second quarter of 2023, much lower than the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain South Korea’s population at 51 million.
Parents look around an exhibition for baby products in Daegu, 237 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 17, 2023. (Yonhap)
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