Population of 2,267 in April Shows Natural Decrease... Declining for 18 Consecutive Months

On the 22nd, as the number of people receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine exceeded 15 million and the vaccination rate approached 30%, the vaccination center in Dongjak-gu, Seoul was busy. As of midnight that day, the number of people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine increased by 20,231, reaching a cumulative total of 15,039,998. This accounts for 29.3% of the total population. The number of people who completed both doses reached 4,167,533, which is about 8.1% of the entire population. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] While the number of births in April increased by 2.2%, the number of deaths rose by 1.7%, resulting in a natural population decrease of 2,267 people. This phenomenon has continued for 18 consecutive months.

According to the "April Population Trends" released by Statistics Korea on the 23rd, the number of births in April was 22,820, a decrease of 501 (-2.2%) compared to the same month last year, while the number of deaths was 25,087, an increase of 411 (1.7%) compared to the same month last year.

The crude birth rate, which refers to the annual number of births per 1,000 people, was recorded at 5.4, and the crude death rate was 5.9. Since the number of deaths exceeded the number of births, the natural population increase recorded a negative (-) value. The natural population decrease has continued for 18 months since November 2019.

The number of deaths in April was 25,087, an increase of 411 (1.7%) compared to the same month last year. Due to the aging population, the number of deaths was the highest for April since related statistics began in 1983. The crude death rate, which refers to the annual number of deaths per 1,000 people, was 5.9.

The natural population increase (births minus deaths) in April was recorded at -2,267. The cumulative total from January to April was -9,306.

The number of marriages in April was 15,861, an increase of 192 (1.2%) compared to the same month last year. Last April, the number of marriages recorded 15,670, a decrease of 4,357 (21.8%) compared to the same month the previous year, marking a historic low. This is interpreted as a base effect. The increase in the number of marriages compared to the same month last year is the first in 14 months since February last year. On the other hand, the number of divorces was 9,038, a decrease of 219 (-2.4%) compared to the same month last year.

Meanwhile, Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, said regarding the population issue, "According to the special future population projection announced by Statistics Korea in 2019, South Korea’s total population is expected to decrease to 24.97 million by 2100, which is half of the current population," adding, "South Korea is expected to experience an Age-Quake caused by the population cliff from 2030 to 2040."

Age-Quake is a concept likening the shock of population decline and an aging society to an earthquake, referring to a rapid change in population structure. Deputy Prime Minister Hong added, "If the Age-Quake cannot be avoided, we must prepare by reducing its intensity," and "It is necessary to achieve both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement of the working-age population and to supplement the working-age population quantitatively."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.