A public postnatal care center in the southeastern port city of Ulsan (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The plunging birth rate has led to a decline in the number of postnatal care centers across South Korea over the last five years, data showed Sunday.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed that there were 475 postpartum care centers in the country as of the end of last year, down by 20.5 percent from 2017.
South Korea’s total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — dropped from 1.17 child in 2016 and 1.05 in 2017 to less than 1 in 2018, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
Last year, the rate was 0.78, a record low.
Sorted by region, Daejeon has seen the most severe drop in the number of postnatal care centers, from 19 in 2017 to 10 in 2022, a decrease of 47.4 percent.
North Gyeongsang and North Jeolla provinces as well as the cities of Gwangju and Daegu saw their number of postnatal care centers drop by more than one third.
In contrast, Sejong, where the government complex is located, has seen the number of postnatal care centers rise from two to six locations.
South Jeolla and Gangwon provinces also saw the number of postnatal care centers rise.
The average cost of postnatal care service nationwide reached 3.1 million won (US$2,370) last year, up 27.4 percent from the previous year.
Postnatal care centers in Seoul were most expensive in terms of a two-week postnatal care service, with the cost rising from around 3.2 million won in 2017 to 4.1 million won last year.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
