South Korea Revealed To Have The Second Lowest Total Fertility Rate In The World

It’s no secret that average birth rates are declining in many countries and have been for some time now. Since the total fertility rate (TFR) to maintain a stable population is 2.1 children per woman, any country with a TFR under this number is considered to have a declining population, while any above it has an increasing population.

There are many factors that can influence a population’s total fertility rate, such as social factors (age at first marriage, literacy status, media exposure, etc.), economic factors (rising income, cost of child-rearing), and cultural factors and values. To put it simply, where it’s easier and cheaper to raise children, it’s much more common to have a higher TFR than places where it’s the opposite.

Recently, a chart was released that shows the TFR of several countries across the world. On the chart, the TFR has been tracked for each country across several years, including in 2015, 2020, 2023, and the forecasted TFR for the future (if the data is available).

Asian countries, by far, are leading the way when it comes to low fertility rates. Many of them, including Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macao, have a TFR that’s less than 1.0. Macao has the lowest currently with 0.59 children per woman (forecasted to decrease to 0.51), while South Korea has the second-lowest at 0.72 (predicted to fall to 0.68).

The countries predicted to drop below 1.0 for the first time in the forecasted column of the chart are Thailand, Chile, and China (the last of which is not included on the chart, but they’re also suspected to have a TFR of less than 1.0 soon if not already).

There are a lot of different opinions about this issue depending on who you ask, but the reactions from many Korean netizens towards their declining TFR actually seem to be pretty positive. After all, a lower population would be better for the environment, and living a childfree life by choice has become more common for young women in this day and age.

“There are definitely a lot of Asian countries.”
“Welcome~★”
“It’s a global trend. Well, it’s better for the planet.”
“It’s all from Asia and Southeast Asia.”
“The population can be reduced, the world’s population seems to be too large.”
“China, Thailand???? It’s surprising.”
“Asia!! Let’s go!!!”
“Asian girls are smart.”
“Let’s fall together ^^ Welcome.”
“Let’s all do our best for the planet!!!”
“It’s a global trend, so come join the low birth rate ^^”
“Let’s stop increasing the number of people. Let’s think about how to live a good life without having children.”