South Korea reports more deaths than births for the first time as the population declines

South Korea reports more deaths than births for the first time as the population declines

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South Korea has been struggling for years with a growing demographic crisis. The country’s fertility rate – the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime – has repeatedly reached record lows and is almost lower than the lowest fertility rates in the world. Meanwhile, the population of South Korea is getting older, leading the country to a demographic decline.

But last year’s census data, released by the Home Office on Monday, looks even more worrying.

There were only 275,815 births, a record low – compared to 307,764 deaths, a 3.1% increase in deaths of the previous year. This is the first time South Korea has hit the “cross-population death toll”, when the death toll exceeds births, the ministry said in a news release – and the first time the total population has shrunk.

The population is rapidly aging, the census showed: 32.7% of people are in their 40s and 50s, and nearly a quarter are over 60.

“The steady decline in birth rates shows that low birth rates remain a major problem in Korea,” the release said. “Consequently, there needs to be a fundamental change in government policies such as welfare, education and national defense.”

The release did not name the causes of death, nor how much the Covid-19 pandemic affected last year’s figures. The pandemic has so far killed 981 people in South Korea, according to a version by Johns Hopkins University.

But Korean experts have previously warned that the pandemic could turn off the number of births and deaths – both because of the growing number of deaths linked to Covid, and because the circumstances of the pandemic could discourage couples from having children.

In a report published in December 2020, the Central Bank of Korea warned that declining birth rates and the aging population were likely to “accelerate” due to the impact of Covid-19. The pandemic has caused greater job and income insecurity for young adults in their twenties and thirties – potentially disrupting their plans to start a family. Economic and personal concerns can cause it to delay children; in some cases, a temporary postponement of birth may become permanent, the report said.
Japan's birth rate hits another record low in 2019

The bank has warned that South Korea may soon have the highest percentage of elderly people in the world, and insists on strong policies and incentives for childbirth to sustain the country’s economy.

Other countries with low fertility rates have also seen their demographic problems deepen during the pandemic. Japan, which has struggled for years with low birth rates and an aging population, dropped the number of reported pregnancies and marriages in the first half of 2020.
In October, Foreign Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto said. The pandemic can discourage people from getting pregnant and starting families.
There are similar reasons for the decline in population in Japan and South Korea – the most important being a demanding work culture that makes it difficult to balance careers with family life.

There is also a tendency to delay or avoid marriage. In 2018, a majority of South Koreans were between 20 and 44 years old, according to the Korean Institute of Health and Social Affairs (KIHSA). Among those who did not go out, 51% of men and 64% of women said they did not want to go out so they could enjoy their hobbies or focus on education. Many say they just do not have the time, money or emotional capacity to go on a date.

In an effort to curb the declining birth rates and marriage rates, the South Korean government has implemented a number of initiatives and policies. In 2018, the government reduced the maximum working hours from 68 hours per week to 52 hours last year, with some experts pointing to the declining fertility rate.

More recently in December, the government announced its fourth basic plan for the Low Fertility and Aging Association, setting out its plans for population policy over the next five years, including cash bonuses for childbirth, childcare subsidies and extended benefits for multiple- families with children.

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