South Korea Faces Population Crisis as Marriages and Births Plummet
Data released by the Korean Statistical Information Service reveals a significant decline in marriages and births in South Korea, raising concerns about a potential population crisis. Marriages have fallen by almost half over the past three decades, while annual births have plummeted to just one-third of levels seen in 1995.
The fertility rate in South Korea, which is currently the lowest in the world, was reported at 0.75 births per woman in 2024. This figure is well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population. At the same time, individuals aged 65 and older now comprise over 20 percent of the population. This demographic shift could have profound implications for the nation’s economic future, potentially straining pension and healthcare systems as fewer young workers enter the labor market.
Many analysts attribute the low birth rates to several factors, including soaring housing costs, a demanding workplace culture, and imbalanced childcare responsibilities. These challenges have led many young South Koreans to postpone or forgo starting families altogether.
Decline in Marriages and Births
The newly published data compares marriage and birth patterns from 2024 with those from 1995. In 2024, the number of marriages rose to 222,400, marking a 15 percent increase from the previous year. However, this figure still represents a 44 percent decline compared to the 398,500 marriages recorded in 1995. Marriages peaked in 1996 at more than 430,000 and have been in decline ever since.
The average age at which South Koreans marry has also risen significantly. In 2024, women married at an average age of 31.6 years, up from 25.3 in 1995. For men, the average age increased from 28.4 to 33.9 during the same period. Concurrently, the number of births has drastically decreased from 715,000 in 1995 to just 238,000 in 2024. Although there was a slight rebound from a record low of 230,000 in 2023, the overall trend remains troubling.
Demographers indicate that the increase in births can be partly attributed to delayed pregnancies resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and a rise in the number of women reaching their 30s. Nonetheless, the data shows that South Koreans are having fewer children overall; second or later births represented only 52.6 percent of total births in 2024, compared to 83 percent in 1995.
Government Response and Future Concerns
Rhee Chang-yong, the governor of the Bank of Korea, has described the low fertility rate as a national emergency. During a speech at the Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum in March, he stated, “If this trend continues, Korea faces an irreversible population crisis that threatens economic stability and social cohesion.” He warned that if the fertility rate remains at 0.75, South Korea could experience prolonged economic decline after 2050.
In response to the demographic challenges, the South Korean government has invested hundreds of billions of dollars since 2008 to encourage marriages and increase birth rates. Initiatives include cash subsidies, housing incentives, extended parental leave, and fertility treatments. Furthermore, the government plans to establish a ministry focused on population strategy. Despite these efforts, tangible success has been elusive, and it remains uncertain whether new measures can reverse the trends observed over the past three decades.
As societal and economic pressures mount, the future of South Korea’s demographic landscape remains precarious. The nation faces a pressing need to address these trends to secure a sustainable future for its population.
