The findings showed that university graduates had on average 1.49 children, while high school and junior high school grads had 1.75 and 1.83 children, respectively. (Image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – A report published by a demographics research institute run by NH Investment and Securities revealed South Korean parents with less education have more children, and cancer is the leading cause of death in the country.
The findings showed that university graduates had on average 1.49 children, while high school and junior high school grads had 1.75 and 1.83 children, respectively. This pattern was replicated amongst couples without children; 13.8 percent of university grad couples were childless, whereas less than of 10 percent of high school grads were so. Parents with only a junior high school education had an outsized lead in having three children or more at 26.44 percent, far higher than the 7.2 percent among university-educated parents.
Claiming 790,000 of the 2.8 million who passed away last year, cancer retained its status as South Korea’s biggest killer. (Image: Yonhap)
Financial circumstances were found to play a large role in the decision to have children amongst couples married for less than five years. As opposed to dual-income households, which had an average of 0.82 childbirths, single-income households had 1.01. Likewise, those who owned homes had 1.01 children and those without had 0.88.
The report additionally identified the leading causes of death last year. Claiming 790,000 of the 2.8 million who passed away last year, cancer retained its status as South Korea’s biggest killer. Heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases ranked second and third, respectively. Suicide was fifth on the list, the only non-disease cause of death in the top 10 causes of death (car accidents were ranked 10th), a reminder that suicide prevention initiatives need to be stepped up.
S.B.W. (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
