Korea's Birth Rate at 0.78, Lowest in OECD... Accelerating Population Cliff

2022 Birth Statistics Released
Birth Rate Down 3.7% Compared to Previous Year
Annual Births Fall Below 250,000
Average Maternal Age 33.5 Years... Up 0.2 Years

Last year, South Korea's total fertility rate recorded the lowest level since birth statistics began in 1970. The average number of children expected to be born to one woman in her lifetime entered the 0.7 range. The annual number of births also fell below 250,000, leading to analyses that the 'population cliff' is steepening.

According to the 2022 birth statistics released by Statistics Korea on the 30th, the total fertility rate last year was recorded at 0.78. This is a decrease of 0.03 (-3.7%) from 0.81 the previous year, marking the lowest level since statistics began in 1970. The total fertility rate is an indicator representing the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime.

In 1983, the total fertility rate dropped to 2.06, entering the low fertility country category (total fertility rate below 2.1), and in 2001, it became an ultra-low fertility country (below 1.3). Since 2018, when the total fertility rate fell below 1 to 0.98, it has remained in the 0-point range for five consecutive years. Among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the average total fertility rate (as of 2021) is 1.58, and South Korea is the only member country with a total fertility rate in the 0-point range.

The number of births last year was 249,000, a decrease of 11,000 (-4.4%) from 260,600 the previous year. The number of births falling below 250,000 is also the first time since statistics began in 1970. The number of births, which was 1.01 million in 1970, sharply declined to the 400,000 range in 2002 and to the 300,000 range in 2017.

The average maternal age at childbirth is also gradually increasing. The average age of mothers was 33.5 years, up 0.2 years from the previous year. The fertility rate for women under 35 (number of births per 1,000 women in the age group) decreased, while the fertility rate for women aged 35 and over increased. By maternal age, the fertility rate is highest in the early 30s at 73.5, followed by late 30s at 44.1, and late 20s at 24.0.

The timing of first childbirth after marriage is also getting later. The average duration of marriage before the first child is 2.7 years, an increase of 0.3 years from the previous year. For the second child, it is 5.0 years, and for the third child or more, 7.6 years. The average age of fathers at childbirth was 36.0 years, similar to the previous year. By paternal age, the highest proportion was men in their late 30s at 37.8%, followed by early 30s at 34.8%, and early 40s at 14.7%. The proportion of births outside marriage was 3.9%, an increase of 1.0 percentage point from the previous year.

The sex ratio at birth (number of boys per 100 girls) was 104.7, down 0.4 from the previous year, and the proportion of multiple births among total births was 5.8%, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. In particular, the proportion of multiple births was highest among mothers in their late 30s at 8.8%.

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