22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The South Korean national statistics institute has published this Wednesday new data on the number of births in the country, which show a decrease of 4.4 percent compared to the previous year, in what is the lowest figure since there are records. .
In 2022, 249,000 babies were born in South Korea, which thus celebrates three consecutive years registering more deaths than births, a decline and aging of the population that worries the fourth largest economy in Asia.
South Korea is currently one of the few countries in the world with a fertility rate of less than 1. Each South Korean woman has, on average, 0.78 children in her lifetime, the lowest number since this was documented. data in the country. In the capital this figure drops to 0.59, the lowest in the country.
SOUTH KOREA NEEDS MORE KIDS
The statistics agency has estimated that the country’s population, which now stands at almost 52 million people, will drop to 38 million around the year 2070. These numbers would mean a significant drop in development, which is trying to increase the number of births to stop the aging of its population.
To try to reverse this trend, the South Korean government presented a series of measures last December to encourage births. Among them, it will try to reduce discrimination at work based on gender, thus improving the working conditions of South Korean women. The intention to facilitate young people’s access to the labor market and affordable housing was also announced.
