A newborn at a hospital in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid growing concerns about low fertility rate and population aging, South Korea has the world’s lowest birth rate, according to a report released by the Korea Population, Health & Welfare Association and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) on Tuesday.
The ratio of South Koreans under the age of 14 in the total population was also at the bottom among the countries surveyed. The ratio of those aged over 65 in the total population was far higher than the global average.
The report showed that the global population reached 7.79 billion this year, up about 80 million from one year ago.
By country, China has the largest population on earth with 1.44 billion people, followed by India at 1.38 billion and the U.S. at 331 million.
The population of South Korea remained unchanged at 51.3 million, ranking 28th in the world.
South Korea’s annual population growth rate for the period from 2015 to 2020 stood at 0.2 percent, lower than the global average of 1.1 percent.
The fertility rate per woman in South Korea was only 1.1, the lowest among the countries surveyed. This figure is far lower than the world average of 2.4. There was no country in the world that had a lower fertility rate than South Korea.
The ratio of South Koreans under the age of 14 in the total population stood at 12.5 percent, far lower than the global average of 25.4 percent.
Among the countries surveyed, only Japan and Singapore had lower ratios, at 12.4 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
