If the current fertility rate persists, the South Korean population — which has already been in decline since 2020 — could fall from its current level of 51 million to as low as 34 million by 2067. The persistence of an abnormally low fertility rate will have serious consequences for South Korea's economy.
Last year, South Korea's population shrank by 123,800, the largest-ever decrease. The country reported more deaths than births for the first time in 2020. More serious is the speed of population decrease. The reduction in population accelerated from 32,000 in 2020 to 57,000 in 2021 and 123,800 in 2022.
The current population of South Korea in 2023 is 51,784,059, a 0.06% decline from 2022. The population of South Korea in 2022 was 51,815,810, a 0.03% decline from 2021. The population of South Korea in 2021 was 51,830,139, a 0.03% decline from 2020.
In 2021, the total number of outgoing migrants in South Korea amounted to about 476 thousand. Among them, about 260 thousand were male migrants and about 217 thousand were female migrants.
The total population of the country would keep growing from 44.9 million in 1995 to 53.5 million in 2035, and then decrease to 51.8 million in 2050. The size of the population aged 15-64 would peak at 36.6 million in 2020, rising from 31.9 million in 1995. Then, it would decline to 30.7 million in 2050.
Starting June 28, 2023, South Koreans will be younger on paper in some situations. On December 8, 2022, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea passed bills to amend the General Act on Public Administration (GAPA) and the Civil Act. The amendments aim to unify three age-counting systems in South Korea.
South Koreans are moving out of Seoul, with factors including the high cost of housing and the draw of suburbs and smaller cities for families with children.
Such a low fertility rate has already made South Korea the most rapidly aging society in the world. The other factor behind the country's rapidly population aging is its rising life expectancy at birth, which was 83.5 years in 2020 — the third highest in the world.
In the 1960s, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. However, in the past 60 years, it has become one of the largest economies worldwide. The main reasons for South Korea's successful economic growth are innovation and technology.…
The declining marriage rate can be seen as one result of the extreme workism culture, coupled with ongoing gender issues in Korea, experts say. "[The Korean government] successfully discouraged nonmarital fertility, but they've also very successfully discouraged marriage," Stone said.
Indeed, according to current projections, China's population is likely to drop below 1 billion by 2080 and below 800 million by 2100. Those specific numbers will surely change; the downward shape of the curve almost certainly will not. India by contrast will keep growing quickly for a while.
The population of North Korea in 2022 was 26,069,416, a 0.38% increase from 2021.
Japan's population of more than 125 million has been declining for 16 years and is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070.
The main cause of South Korea's aging is low fertility. Decreased fertility rates tend to cause lower marriage rates, more delayed marriages, and increased aging.
In 2021, South Korea's nominal gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to around 2,071 trillion South Korean won, compared to that of North Korea which was approximately 35.89 trillion South Korean won. With this, South Korea's nominal GDP was around 57 times greater than that of North Korea.
While the Republic of Korea (South Korea) broadly respects the rights of its citizens, there are significant human rights concerns, especially regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, women, migrants, racial minorities, older people, and people with disabilities.
The fertility rate in the United States in 2020 was 56.0 per 1,000 women ages 15-44. Of all live births in the United States during 2018-2020 (average), 23.7% were Hispanic, 52.1% were white, 15.2% were black, 0.8% were American Indian/Alaska Native and 6.8% were Asian/Pacific Islander.
According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA)'s latest report "Statistical Yearbook of Poverty 2022," about half, or 47.2 percent, of single-person households in Korea made less than the national average income in 2020.
Westerners may find living in South Korea challenging. The culture is different, and the language barrier can be significant, particularly with older Koreans. Foreign residents tend to socialize largely with other foreigners. Seoul is crowded, and living quarters are small compared to Western accommodations.
Around 84.5% of overseas Koreans live in just five countries: China, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Uzbekistan. Other countries with greater than 0.5% Korean minorities include Brazil, Russia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. All these figures include both permanent migrants and sojourners.
Freedom of movement. North Korean citizens usually cannot freely travel around the country, let alone travel abroad. Emigration and immigration are strictly controlled.
Civilisations could collapse by 2100
Despite only dealing with probabilities, scientists predict without a determined effort to reduce emissions, the globe will likely experience 4 degrees of warming by 2100. “That makes large parts of Australia and other continents uninhabitable,” Prof Flannery warns.
The Australian Academy of Science has recommended that 23 million people would be a safe upper limit for Australia. That was before climate change and peak oil became hot topics.
Australia in 2025 will be: strong, prosperous, healthy and secure and positioned to benefit all Australians in a rapidly changing world. We are told that Australia will need a diverse economy built on sustainable productivity growth, knowledge-based industries and high value goods and services.