South Korea recorded more deaths than births in 2020 for the first time ever, prompting calls for action to revive the country's falling fertility rate.

 

韩国2020年记录的死亡人数有史以来第一次超过了出生人数，这促使人们呼吁出台措施提高不断降低的生育率。

 

For years, South Korea has struggled with a growing demographic crisis. The country's fertility rate has repeatedly hit record lows, and ranks near the bottom of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Meanwhile, South Korea's population continues to age, sending the country into a demographic decline.

 

But last year's census¹ data, released by the Ministry² of Interior and Safety on Monday, appears even more alarming.

 

There were only 275,815 births, a record low -- compared to 307,764 deaths, a 3.1% increase in fatalities³ from the previous year. This is the first time South Korea has hit the "population death cross," when the number of deaths surpasses births, the ministry said in a news release -- and the first time the total population has shrunk.

 

 

The population continues to age rapidly, the census showed: 32.7% of people are in their 40s and 50s, and nearly a quarter are over the age of 60.

 

"The constant decline in birth rate shows that low birth rate remains⁴ as a big issue in Korea," the release said. "There needs to be a fundamental change in the governmental policies such as welfare, education, and national defense⁵, accordingly."

 

The release didn't mention causes of death, or how much the Covid-19 pandemic influenced last year's figures. The pandemic has killed 981 people in South Korea so far, according to a tally⁶ by Johns Hopkins University.

 

But Korean experts have previously⁷ warned that the pandemic could skew the number of births and deaths -- both because of the higher number of Covid-related deaths, and because the circumstances of the pandemic could discourage couples from having children.

 

In a report published in December 2020, the central Bank of Korea warned that the country's falling birth rates and aging population would likely "accelerate" due to the impact of Covid-19. The pandemic caused greater job and income insecurity for young adults in their 20s and 30s -- potentially disrupting their plans to start a family. Economic and personal anxieties may cause them to delay having children; in some cases, a temporary postponement⁸ on childbirth could turn permanent, said the report.

 

The bank warned that South Korea may soon have the highest proportion of elderly people in the world, and urged stronger policies and childbirth incentives⁹ to sustain the country's economy.

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