South Korea will be a super altering company, new data will show
South Korea will be a super altering company, new data will show
Seoul, South Korea-South Korea has developed into a "super-old" society in which every fifth 65 years or older, as official data on Tuesday showed. This illustrates the increasing demographic crisis of the country.
demographic changes in South Korea
The number of people in South Korea, which are 65 or older, is 10.24 million and accounts for 20 % of the population of 51 million, according to the new data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security. The United Nations classifies countries with more than 7 % of the population aged 65 or older than "aging society", with over 14 % as "old society" and those with more than 20 % as "super-old society".
falling birth rates
South Korea has been fighting extremely low birth rates for years that fell to only 0.72 in 2023 - the lowest worldwide. In order to maintain a stable population without immigration, countries need a fertility rate of 2.1.
demographic challenge
According to current ministry, about 22 % of women in South Korea are 65 years or older, while the proportion of men in this age group is almost 18 %. This data illustrates the demographic time bomb, the South Korea and other East Asian countries, only a few decades after their rapid industrialization.comparison with European countries
Many European countries also have to deal with aging populations, but benefit from immigration to alleviate the effects. Countries such as South Korea, Japan and China, on the other hand, have to mention mass immigration to combat the decline in their employable population.
political measures and initiatives
South Korean authorities have desperately tried to reverse the country's demographic trend. President Yoon Suk Yeol called for support in May to found a new ministry, which deals with what he referred to as "national emergency".
causes of demographic change
experts attribute the demographic change in Asia to various factors, including demanding work cultures, stagnating wages, the increasing living costs and changing attitudes towards marriage and gender justice. In addition, many young people are increasingly disillusioned.
financial measures without success
Despite the economic factors, financial support has proven to be ineffective. In 2022, South Korean authorities admitted that more than $ 200 billion have been spent over the past 16 years to increase the population.
failure of initiatives
Initiatives such as the extension of the paid paternity vacation, the provision of monetary “baby vouchers” for new parents and social campaigns to promote the cooperation of men in childcare and in the household could not reverse the trend.
The reporting of CNN was supplemented by Jessie Yeung and Gawon Bae.
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