South Korea Set to Establish Ministry to Tackle Low Birth Rate.

By Caroline Ameh

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has hinted that his government is ready to create a new ministry to combat the nation’s declining birth rate in a live address to the nation on Thursday.

“I ask the parliament’s cooperation to revise government organization to set up the Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter Planning,” President Yeol stated.

Despite South Korea’s substantial investment in initiatives to encourage childbirth and maintain population stability, official data reveals a record low birth rate last year.

The country’s combination of one of the world’s longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates presents a significant demographic challenge.

Preliminary data from Statistics Korea in February indicated a drop in South Korea’s fertility rate to 0.72 in 2023, down nearly eight percent from the previous year.

This rate falls significantly below the 2.1 children per woman needed to sustain the current population of 51 million, a figure that experts estimate will nearly halve by 2100 at current rates.

Among OECD nations, South Korea’s 0.72 birth rate is the lowest, with the average age for giving birth being 33.6, the highest in the OECD.

Despite extensive government efforts, including cash subsidies, childcare services, and support for infertility treatment, the birth rate continues its downward trend.