Population decline worsens...South Korea's population has fallen by 450,000 in five years

Although South Korea's birth rate surprisingly increased for the first time in nine years last year, the natural population decline has continued for five consecutive years as the number of deaths is greater than the number of new babies being born.
With the population declining by more than 50,000 people and the "demographic cliff" becoming a reality, population policies that can maintain the size of the economy have become an urgent necessity.
According to the Korea National Statistical Office, the natural population decline last year was 120,000. The number of births was 238,000, down from the previous year.
Although the population increased by 8,000, the number of deaths reached 358,000, and the natural population decline amounted to 120,000. The natural population decline phenomenon first began in 2020 and has continued for five consecutive years.
The natural decline, which began with a decrease of 33,000 people in 2020, has expanded to 57,000 people in 2021 due to COVID-19. It will then continue to decline by 124,000 people in 2022.
The number of new visitors has declined by around 120,000 for three consecutive years up until last year, following 2019 (0 people), 2020 (-122,000 people), and 2021 (-122,000 people).
The total population decline in South Korea over the past five years is 456,000 people.
According to civil registration standards, South Korea's total population is 51,217,000, which means that the total population has decreased by about 0.9% over the past five years.
The number of births last year was 238,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous year, but the natural decline in the birth rate is a cause for concern.
The number of births over the past five years (2020-2024) is 1.25 million, the lowest on record when compared over a five-year period.
Between 1990 and 1994, the number of annual births was 3.527 million, but between 2000 and 2004, it dropped to 2.669 million, a drop of 2 million.
The number then fell to 2,298,000 in 2005-2009, remained at a similar level in 2010-2014, and then dropped to 1,832,000 in 2015-2019.
The number of births in Japan fell to 1.2 million in 2019, dropping to 1.00 million in 2020-2024. Marriages, a leading indicator of births, also saw an increase last year, but have not increased in the past five years.
Looking at the annual trend, it is at the lowest level ever. Last year, the number of marriages was 222,000, the highest since 2019 (239,000). However, the number of marriages over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024 is
The number of cases was 1,014,000, down 332,000 from the previous five-year period (2015-2019). Considering the impact of postponements due to COVID-19, this is a temporary increase.
Furthermore, if the proportion of the elderly population increases, the working-age population will decrease, placing a greater burden on the economy.
Under the current standard, the population is expected to decline from 51.67 million in 2022 to 51.31 million in 2030 and to 36.22 million in 2072. In addition, the proportion of the elderly population aged 65 and over is expected to decline by 20
It is expected to reach 47.7%, about half of the total, by 2072. In light of this situation and taking into account national debt and other factors, it is necessary to maintain at least a moderate level of population size.
The National Assembly Budget Office said, "If the recovery in the birth rate in 2024 is only temporary and the population declines to the level of the low estimate, which is the pessimistic scenario, the national debt ratio will be
"We are concerned about the rise in the number of young people in the country," he said, adding that "policy efforts are needed to maintain the population structure."