According to a study commissioned by a South Korean newspaper, the country’s birthrate is tipped to fall as low as 0.96 this year. It will be the first time ever that there has been a zero before the decimal point.
The rate needed to keep a population stable is 2.1 per woman, to replace her and her partner.
South Korea faces looming demographic challenges with a rapidly ageing population. The country now has the world’s lowest birthrate as people marry and have children later, amid worries over living costs and as women look to focus on their careers. The trend has been exacerbated by worsening job prospects for young people and rising property prices.
Click the podcast above to hear this story in Korean.
