More Pets Than Teenagers... Countries with Ultra-Low Birthrates Beyond Korea

Taiwan Falls Below 1.0 Birth Rate for Second Consecutive Year
Puerto Rico Also Faces Severe Low Birthrate

Last year, South Korea's total fertility rate recorded 0.78, showing a slight decline compared to the previous year and remaining below 1.0 for the fifth consecutive year since 2018.

The total fertility rate is an indicator representing the average number of children a woman of childbearing age (15-49 years) is expected to have in her lifetime. In Korea, this means that one woman is unlikely to have even a single child in her lifetime.

Accordingly, South Korea has become the only member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with a total fertility rate below 1.0, establishing itself as a unique 'Ultra-low fertility' country.

So, are there countries outside the OECD with a total fertility rate below 1.0? Excluding South Korea, there are currently only two countries classified as 'ultra-low fertility societies.'

Taiwan has more pets than youth... 'Strong measures' including extending military service period

A street in Taipei, Taiwan, last August / Photo by Reuters

Taiwan is a society with a high per capita gross domestic product (GDP), but since it is not an OECD member, it is excluded from OECD fertility statistics. However, Taiwan has been a representative Asian country experiencing low fertility and aging populations similar to South Korea throughout the 21st century.

Taiwan's average total fertility rate for last year has not yet been announced, but data for the previous year, 2021, is available. According to Hong Kong media SCMP, Taiwan recorded a total fertility rate of 0.98 in 2021, failing to surpass the 1.0 mark for two consecutive years. In 2020, it was 0.99.

The Taiwanese political sphere recognizes the seriousness of population decline caused by low fertility. In 2020, an analysis revealed that the number of pets kept by households surpassed the number of youths under 15 years old, shocking Taiwanese society.

Especially in Taiwan, which is strengthening its defense capabilities against China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, the decline in fertility means a reduction in military personnel. To prevent military collapse and enhance defense capabilities, Taiwan passed a new law in December last year extending mandatory military service for men aged 18 and over from 4 months to 1 year.

Low fertility also casts a shadow over Taiwan's semiconductor industry, considered the 'shield' of its economy, as it becomes difficult to recruit not only research staff but also production workers in factories. Recently, the Taiwanese government has been strengthening low fertility countermeasures such as enhancing childcare allowance systems and actively focusing on attracting foreign labor.

At a forum held in Taiwan at the end of August last year, Kung Ming-hsin, Chairman of Taiwan's National Development Council (NDC), announced a strategy to resolve labor shortages by attracting up to 400,000 foreign industrial workers over the next decade.

Puerto Rico suffers from low fertility due to birth control policies

Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island country and an autonomous territory of the United States / Photo by Yonhap News

Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean and a U.S. territory, recorded a total fertility rate of 0.92 in 2020, making it one of the places on Earth with the most severe low fertility problems.

In fact, there is a dark background behind Puerto Rico's low fertility. The Puerto Rican autonomous government judged that the cause of poverty in the territory was indiscriminate population growth and implemented strict birth control policies from the 1930s to the 1960s.

As part of the policy, Puerto Rican women were pressured by local doctors to undergo sterilization procedures. According to 'Unidos,' a Latin American human rights advocacy group in the U.S., about 7% of Puerto Rican women underwent sterilization procedures over approximately two years from 1947 to 1948, and by 1956, one in three women had undergone the procedure.

Puerto Rico's population peaked at about 3.827 million in 2004 and has since gradually declined. However, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the population actually increased, likely because some Puerto Ricans who had migrated to the U.S. mainland returned home after experiencing economic recession.

As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico has granted U.S. citizenship since 1917, and citizens born on the island can freely travel between the island and the U.S. mainland.

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