Tag: fertility rate

fertility rate

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A mother and her child look around a new classroom at an elementary school in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 6. [YONHAP]

30s are the new 20s for working women as 'M-shaped curve' flattens

Thirties are the new 20s, at least for working women, with the employment rate for women aged 30 to 34 exceeding that of 25-to-29-year-olds for the first time since 1995 last year, effectively eliminating the “M-shaped curve” phenomenon.

2026.4.2

Office workers walk across a street in central Seoul on May 29, 2024. [YONHAP]

Should Korea work less? A four-and-a-half-day week sparks a divide.

The Lee Jae Myung administration is pushing ahead with a plan for a four-and-a-half-day workweek, sending unions rejoicing and executives scrambling to mitigate the fallout in a nation already on the lower end of productivity.

2025.9.19

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The newborn at a hospital in Gangseo District, eastern Seoul, on Feb. 26. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Why is Korea’s birth rate, once the lowest, now inching up?

After eight consecutive years of decline, the number of expected children per woman rose to 0.75 last year from the record low of 0.72 the year before. Experts forecast the fertility rate to reach roughly 0.8 in 2025.

2025.9.5

Medical staff care for newborns at Ain Hospital in Incheon, on Feb. 26. [YONHAP]

Births out of wedlock hit record high in 2024

The proportion of births outside of marriage reached an all-time high last year, data showed Wednesday, indicating a possible shift in accepted norms. A total of 13,800 babies were born out of wedlock in 2024.

2025.8.27

Nurses look after newborn babies at a hospital in Incheon on Feb. 26. [YONHAP]

Korean men, women have largest disparity on intention to have children

Korea exhibits the largest disparity between men and women in their intention to have children among major United Nations member states, yet ranked the highest in terms of how important they think childbirth is, according to a recent survey.

2025.7.16

A nurse tends to newborn babies at a hospital in Incheon on Dec. 26, 2024. [NEWS1]

Korean population set to shrink by half in next 60 years, despite recent rebound

Korea's population may decrease to 27.5 million by 2085, influenced by gender norms and high costs of housing and education, according to an OECD report.

2025.3.7

How to navigate the national emergency

the government must rekindle the stalled labor, regulatory and pension reforms.

2024.6.25

A pedestrian walks past a barrier at a construction site decorated with a drawing of a family on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Korean newborns hit record low in February, data show

The number of newborns in Korea hit a new low in February with an on-year decrease of 3.3 percent. The crude birthrate fell to 4.8.

2024.4.24

A baby in a bear outfit crawls towards their father at the Daegu Baby and Kids Fair held in Buk District, Daegu, on March 7. [NEWS1]

Seoul first locality to provide parental leave benefits to self-employed, freelancers

Self-employed workers and freelancers in Seoul will receive parental leave benefits starting next year, a measure that aims to address the city’s staggeringly low birthrate.

2024.4.22

International students attend the Global Talent Fair at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in Oct. 2022. [YONHAP]

Foreigners may account for 1 in 10 working-age people by 2042

One in 10 working-age people in Korea may be a foreigner by 2042 as the population sharply shrinks due to the country's ever-plummeting birth rate.

2024.4.12