South Korea is projected to see its population drop significantly over the next 50 years, and its global population ranking fall by 30 notches over the ultra-low birth rate and rapid aging, data showed Monday.
The country’s population is projected to come to 36 million in 2072, down 30.8 percent from this year’s 52 million. Its population peaked in 2020 and has been on a decline, according to the data by Statistics Korea.
The world population, however, is forecast to continue to rise during the cited period to reach 10.22 billion in 2072, compared with an estimated 8.16 billion this year.
South Korea was the world’s 29th most populous country in 2024, but the ranking is expected to fall to 59 in the 2072, the agency said.
Women in South Korea Are on Strike Against Being ‘Baby-Making Machines’
After trying for over a year to persuade more South Korean women to have babies, Chung Hyun-back says one reason stands out for her failure: “Our patriarchal culture.” Ms. Chung, who was tasked by the previous government with reversing the country’s plummeting birthrate, knows firsthand how tough it is to be a woman in South Korea. She chose her career over nuptials and children. Like her, millions of young women have been collectively spurning motherhood in a so-called birth strike.