Last Year's Births Fall Below 200,000 for the First Time... Sejong Ranks 1st with 1.28, Seoul Last with 0.64
Statistics Korea '2020 Birth Statistics'
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seonhee] Last year, among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong recorded the highest total fertility rate at 1.28. In contrast, Seoul recorded the lowest fertility rate at 0.64, which is half that of Sejong.
According to the '2020 Birth Statistics' released by Statistics Korea on the 25th, the nationwide total fertility rate last year was 0.84. This is the lowest ever since related statistics began being compiled in 1970. All cities and provinces nationwide saw a decrease compared to 2019. The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.
By region, Sejong had the highest total fertility rate nationwide at 1.28. This was followed by Jeonnam (1.15), Gangwon (1.04), and Chungnam (1.03). On the other hand, Seoul had the lowest total fertility rate nationwide at 0.64, only half of Sejong's rate. This was followed by Busan (0.75), Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju (0.81), and Incheon (0.83), all recording total fertility rates below the national average.
The number of births last year was 272,300, a 10% (33,000) decrease from 2019. For the first time ever, the number fell below 300,000. The crude birth rate, which refers to the number of births per 1,000 people, was 5.3, a decrease of 0.6 during the same period.
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Looking at fertility rates by female age group, rates decreased in all age groups except for women in their early 40s (40-44 years old). Notably, the fertility rates of women in their late 20s to early 30s significantly declined compared to one year ago. The fertility rate for women in their late 20s (25-29 years old) dropped by 14.2%, from 35.7 in 2019 to 30.6 last year, and for women in their early 30s (30-34 years old), it decreased by 8.4%, from 86.2 to 78.9 during the same period. Considering that women in these age groups account for an overwhelmingly high proportion of births across all age groups, this likely had a significant impact on the overall decline in fertility rates.
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