Demographics of South Korea

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Births and Deaths in South Korea, 1925-2016

With a population of around 51.7 million, South Korea was the 27th most populous country in the world and at the same time is one of the most densely populated in the world. During the 20th century , the country's population experienced a dramatic expansion and extensive urbanization and industrialization . This made one of the fastest demographic transitions of all time in the country . South Korea has struggled with a very low birth rate since the 1990s, leading some researchers to believe that the country's population will shrink to around 38 million by the end of the 21st century if current developments continue. In 2018, fertility in South Korea again became a topic of international debate, as only an estimated 325,000 babies were born that year and the fertility rate dropped below one child per woman. This means that the country has the lowest fertility rate in the world.

National demographics

  • Population 1955

  • Population 1960

  • Population 1965

  • Population 1970

  • Population 1975

  • Population 1980

  • Population 1985

  • Population 1990

  • Population 1995

  • Population 2000

  • Population 2005

  • Population 2010

  • Population 2015

The population of South Korea has experienced robust growth since the republic was founded in 1948, which has slowed sharply due to the effects of economic growth . In the first official census of 1949, the total population of South Korea was 20,188,641 people. The 1985 census showed the population doubled to 40,466,577. The population growth was in the period from 1949 to 1955, when the population was 21.5 million, averaging about 1.1% per year. Growth accelerated to 29.2 million between 1955 and 1966, or an annual average of 2.8%, but fell significantly in the period from 1966 to 1985 to an annual average of 1.7%. Thereafter, the average annual growth rate fell below 1%, similar to the low growth rates of most industrialized countries and the target set by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for the 1990s. As of January 1, 1989, the population of South Korea was estimated to be approximately 42.2 million people. The proportion of the population under fifteen has increased and then decreased with the rate of growth. In 1955, approximately 41.2% of the population was under fifteen years old, a percentage that rose to 43.5% in 1966 before rising to 38.3% in 1975, 34.2% in 1980 and 29.9% in 1985 decreased. In the past, the proportion of children in relation to the total population was large and weighed heavily on the country's economy, mainly because of the considerable investment in educational institutions. With the slowdown in the rate of population growth and an increase in the average age (from 18.7 years to 21.8 years between 1960 and 1980), the age structure of the population was already more like the columnar pattern of the developed countries than the pyramid pattern in most parts of the Third World . The decline in the rate of population growth and the proportion of people under the age of fifteen after 1966 reflected the success of official and unofficial prevention programs. The government of President Rhee Syng-man (1948–1960) was conservative on such matters. Although the Christian churches launched a campaign against family planning in 1957, the Park Chung Hee government , concerned about how rapidly growing populations were undermining economic growth, began a nationwide family planning program. Other factors that have contributed to slowing population growth have been urbanization, the later age of marriage for men and women, higher levels of education , greater numbers of women in employment and better health standards .

Public and private institutions involved in family planning included the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Interior, the Proposed Parents Association of Korea, and the Korean Institute for Family Planning. In the late 1980s, their activities included selling free birth control devices and information, training women on family planning methods , and granting special grants and privileges (such as low-interest loans) to parents wishing to undergo sterilization . In 1984, 502,000 South Koreans were sterilized, compared to 426,000 the previous year.

The Maternal and Child Health Act of 1973 legalized abortion . In 1983, the government began to suspend health insurance benefits for maternal care for pregnant women with three or more children. She also refused to allow parents with two or more children to deduct tax on education expenses.

As in China, cultural attitudes caused problems in family planning programs. A strong preference for sons - who are expected to care for their parents in old age under the traditional Confucian value system of Korea and to continue the family name - means that parents with only daughters usually have children until a son is born. The government encouraged married couples to have only one child at the same time. To date, significantly more boys than girls are born in South Korea, which points to cases of gender-selective abortion .

The overall fertility rate (the average number of children a woman will have during her lifetime) decreased from 6.1 births per woman in 1960 to 4.2 in 1970, 2.8 in 1980 and 2.4 in Year 1984. The number of live births, which was registered in 1978 at 711,810, grew in 1982 to a high of 917,860. This development sparked fears among family planning experts about a new "baby boom". By 1986, however, the number of live births had dropped to 806,041.

Population growth continued to decline, and between 2005 and 2010 the fertility rate for South Korean women was 1.21 and was one of the lowest in the world, according to the United Nations . The fertility rate, well below the substitute value of 2.1 births per woman, has caused a national alarm with dire predictions of an aging society unable to care for or support the elderly. The recent Korean governments have prioritized the issue on their agenda, promising to implement social reforms that encourage women to have children.

However, the measures introduced so far have not been able to turn things around. In fact, the rate of aging in Korea is unprecedented in human history and even surpasses that of Japan . The reasons for the extremely low birth rate are high real estate prices in cities, long working hours, economic pressure and discrimination against mothers in the labor market. This is why women do not have their first child until the age of 31, which is one of the latest times in the world. If current trends are not reversed, there is a risk of the median age increasing to around 54 years by 2050 and an annual population loss from the 2020s. South Korea would thus be the oldest society in the world, which would put a heavy strain on the economic sustainability of the social security systems and would likely severely restrict economic growth.

Ethnic groups

Koreans are one of the most homogeneous and endogamous peoples of mankind. They are genetically related to Northeast Asians and show a close relationship with the Japanese , the Manchu , the North Chinese , the Ultschen , the Niwchen and some other Siberian peoples, as well as the native Americans . The South Koreans regard the common language and, above all, ethnicity as an important part of their identity . Korean society is still relatively homogeneous and 96% of the population are Koreans. However, due to increasing labor shortages and the rapid aging of society, the country is increasingly opening up to immigration . From 2004 to 2014, the number of registered foreigners in South Korea rose from around 469,000 to 1.1 million. South Korea's immigration regulations remain strict, especially for non-Asians. By far the largest group of foreigners is currently from the People's Republic of China .

Before its economic development, South Korea was primarily a country of emigration. There is a large diaspora of Korean descent living abroad, predominantly in the United States .

Top 10 countries of origin of foreigners (2016)
rank Country of origin number
1 China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China 1,016,607
2 VietnamVietnam Vietnam 149.384
3 United StatesUnited States United States 140.222
4th ThailandThailand Thailand 100,860
5 PhilippinesPhilippines Philippines 56,980
6th UzbekistanUzbekistan Uzbekistan 54,490
7th JapanJapan Japan 51,297
8th IndonesiaIndonesia Indonesia 47,606
9 CambodiaCambodia Cambodia 45,832
10 MongoliaMongolia Mongolia 35.206

Demographic statistics since 1925

Registered births and deaths

Source:

year population Births Deaths change Birth rate
(per 1,000 inhabitants) 		Death rate
(per 1,000 inh.) 		Change
(per 1,000 inhabitants) 		Fertility per woman
1925 12,997,611 558.897 359.042 199,855 43.0 27.6 15.4 5.95
1926 13,052,741 511,667 337.948 173.719 39.2 25.9 13.3 5.91
1927 13,037,169 534.524 353.818 180,706 41.0 27.1 13.9 5.89
1928 13.105.131 566.142 357.701 208,441 43.2 27.3 15.9 5.87
1929 13.124.279 566,969 414.366 152.603 43.2 31.6 11.6 5.9
1930 13,880,469 587.144 322,611 264,533 42.3 23.2 19.1 5.93
1931 13,895,052 589,428 346,800 242,628 42.4 25.0 17.4 5.96
1932 14,117,191 600,545 384.287 216.258 42.5 27.2 15.3 5.99
1933 14.229.277 607.021 336.232 270,789 42.7 23.6 19.1 6.02
1934 14,449,155 618.135 356,515 261,620 42.8 24.7 18.1 6.05
1935 15,061,960 646.158 377.454 268,704 42.9 25.1 17.8 6.08
1936 15.114.775 639.355 381,806 257,549 42.3 25.3 17.0 6.12
1937 15.235.383 636.839 342,575 294.264 41.8 22.5 19.3 6.15
1938 15,358,193 569.299 347.025 222.274 37.1 22.6 14.5 6.18
1939 15,486,028 585,482 353.391 232.091 37.8 22.8 15.0 6.16
1940 15,559,741 527.964 358.496 169,468 33.9 23.0 10.9 6.14
1941 15,745,478 553,690 366.239 187.451 35.2 23.3 11.9 6.12
1942 16,013,742 533,768 376.003 157.765 33.3 23.5 9.8 6.1
1943 16,239,721 513.846 384,881 128,965 31.6 23.7 7.9 6.08
1944 16,599,172 533.215 380.121 153.094 32.1 22.9 9.2 5.98
1945 16,695,819 544.786 367,308 177.478 32.6 22.0 10.6 5.88
1946 19,369,270 590.763 410,629 180.134 30.5 21.2 9.3 5.79
1947 19,836,234 686.334 361.019 325.315 35.0 18.2 16.8 5.69
1948 20,027,393 692.948 374,512 318,436 34.6 18.7 15.9 5.59
1949 20.188.641 696.508 341.188 355,320 34.5 16.9 17.6 4.81
1950 19,211,386 633.976 597.474 36.502 33.0 31.1 1.9 5.05
1951 19,304,737 675,666 579.142 96,524 35.0 30.0 5.0
1952 19,566,860 722.018 457.865 264.153 36.9 23.4 13.5
1953 19,979,069 777.186 363,619 413,567 38.9 18.2 20.7
1954 20.520.601 839.293 364,850 490.433 40.9 17.0 23.9
1955 21,168,611 908.134 295,302 612.832 42.9 14.0 28.9 6.33
1956 21,897,911 945.990 294,344 651,646 43.2 13.4 29.8
1957 22,681,233 963,952 293,344 670.608 42.5 12.9 29.6
1958 23,490,027 993.628 291,864 701.764 42.3 12.4 29.9
1959 24,295,786 1,016,173 289,525 726.648 41.8 11.9 29.9
1960 25,012,374 1,080,535 285,350 795.185 43.2 11.4 31.8 6.16
1961 25,765,673 1,046,086 280,846 765.240 40.6 10.9 29.7 5.99
1962 26,513,030 1,036,659 270,433 760.266 39.1 10.2 28.9 5.79
1963 27,261,747 1,033,220 278.070 755.150 37.9 10.2 27.7 5.57
1964 27.984.155 1,001,833 279,842 721.991 35.8 10.0 25.8 5.36
1965 28,704,674 996.052 272,694 723.358 34.7 9.5 25.2 5.16
1966 29,435,571 1,030,245 294,356 735.889 35.0 10.0 25.0 4.99
1967 30.130.983 1.005.293 242.280 763.013 33.4 8.0 25.4 4.84
1968 30.838.302 1,043,321 280.308 763.013 33.8 9.1 24.7 4.72
1969 31,544,266 1,044,943 270.023 774.920 33.1 8.6 24.5 4.62
1970 32,240,827 1,006,645 258,589 748.056 31.2 8.0 23.2 4.53
1971 32,882,704 1,024,773 237,528 787.245 31.2 7.2 23.9 4.54
1972 33.505.406 952.780 210.071 742.709 28.4 6.3 22.2 4.12
1973 34.103.149 965,521 267,460 698.061 28.3 7.8 20.5 4.07
1974 34,692,266 922,823 248,807 674.016 26.6 7.2 19.4 3.77
1975 35.280.725 874.030 270,657 603.373 24.8 7.7 17.1 3.43
1976 35,848,523 796.331 266,857 529.474 22.2 7.4 14.8 3.00
1977 36,411,795 825.339 249.254 576.085 22.7 6.8 15.8 2.99
1978 36,969,185 750.728 252,298 498.430 20.3 6.8 13.5 2.64
1979 37,534,236 862,669 239.986 622,683 23.0 6.4 16.6 2.90
1980 38.123.775 862.835 277.284 585,551 22.6 7.3 15.4 2.82
1981 38.723.248 867,409 237,481 629.928 22.4 6.1 16.3 2.57
1982 39,326,352 848.312 245,767 602,545 21.6 6.2 15.3 2.39
1983 39.910.403 769.155 254,563 514,592 19.3 6.4 12.9 2.06
1984 40,405,956 674.793 236,445 438,348 16.7 5.9 10.8 1.74
1985 40,805,744 655.489 240.418 415.071 16.1 5.9 10.2 1.66
1986 41,213,674 636.019 239.256 396.763 15.4 5.8 9.6 1.58
1987 41,621,690 623.831 243.504 380,327 15.0 5.9 9.1 1.53
1988 42,031,247 633.092 235.779 397.313 15.1 5.6 9.5 1.55
1989 42,449,038 639.431 236.818 402.613 15.1 5.6 9.5 1.56
1990 42,869,283 649.738 241,616 408.122 15.2 5.6 9.5 1.57
1991 43.295.704 709.275 242,270 467.005 16.4 5.6 10.8 1.71
1992 43,747,962 730.678 236.162 494,516 16.7 5.4 11.3 1.76
1993 44.194.628 715.826 234.257 481,569 16.0 5.2 10.8 1.65
1994 44,641,540 721.185 242,439 478,746 16.0 5.4 10.6 1.66
1995 45.092.991 715.020 242,838 472.182 15.7 5.3 10.3 1.63
1996 45,524,681 691.226 241.149 450,077 15.0 5.2 9.8 1.57
1997 45,953,580 668.344 241.943 426,401 14.4 5.2 9.2 1.52
1998 46.286.503 634.790 243.193 391,597 13.6 5.2 8.4 1.45
1999 46,616,677 614.233 245.364 368,869 13.0 5.2 7.8 1.41
2000 47.008.111 634.501 246.163 388,838 13.3 5.2 8.2 1.47
2001 47.370.164 554,895 241,521 313,374 11.6 5.0 6.5 1.30
2002 47,644,736 492.111 245.317 246,794 10.2 5.1 5.1 1.17
2003 47,892,330 490.543 244.506 246.037 10.2 5.1 5.1 1.18
2004 48,082,519 472.761 244.217 228,544 9.8 5.0 4.7 1.15
2005 48.184.561 435.031 243,883 191.148 8.9 5.0 3.9 1.08
2006 48,438,292 448.153 242.266 205,887 9.2 5.0 4.2 1.12
2007 48,683,638 493.189 244,874 248,315 10.0 5.0 5.1 1.25
2008 49.054.708 465.892 246.113 219.779 9.4 5.0 4.4 1.19
2009 49,307,835 444,849 246,942 197.907 9.0 5.0 4.0 1.15
2010 49,554,112 470.171 255.405 214,766 9.4 5.1 4.3 1.23
2011 49,936,638 471.265 257.396 213,869 9.4 5.1 4.3 1.24
2012 50.199.853 484,550 267.221 217,329 9.6 5.3 4.3 1.30
2013 50,428,893 436.455 266.257 170.198 8.6 5.3 3.4 1.19
2014 50,746,659 435,435 267,692 167,743 8.6 5.3 3.3 1.21
2015 51,014,947 438.420 275,895 162,525 8.6 5.4 3.2 1.24
2016 51.245.707 406.243 280,827 125,416 7.9 5.5 2.4 1.17
2017 51.446.201 357.771 285,534 72,237 7.0 5.6 1.4 1.05
2018 51.635.256 326.822 298.936 27,886 6.4 5.8 0.6 0.98

urbanization

Like other emerging economies , South Korea has seen rapid urban growth caused by large numbers of people leaving the countryside. Until the 1970s, South Korea was primarily an agricultural society, and it is now one of the most urbanized countries in the world. In 2017, 81.5% of the population lived in cities (in 1960 it was 27.7% of the population) Almost half of the population lives in the catchment area of ​​the capital Seoul . Due to the lack of space, a large part of the population lives in apartment blocks in suburbs .

Development of urbanization (1960-2017)
year Urbanization rate in%
1960 27.71%
1970 40.70%
1980 56.72%
1990 73.84%
2000 79.62%
2010 81.94%
2017 81.50%

health

The life expectancy has been increasing rapidly and South Korea was in 2016 the world's number 11 in life expectancy. South Korea has one of the lowest HIV / AIDS prevalence rates in the world, with only 0.1% of the population infected. South Korea also has one of the lowest child mortality rates . South Korea also has a very low rate of severely obese people at 4.7% compared to other developed countries. However, the percentage of smokers and alcohol consumption per capita is among the highest in the world. Suicide is a serious and widespread problem in South Korea, especially among young people. The suicide rate was the second highest in the OECD in 2015 (25.8 deaths per 100,000 people).

Development of life expectancy from 1908 to 2015

Source: Our World In Data and the UN .

1865-1949

Years 1908 1913 1918 1923 1928 1933 1938 1942 1950
Life expectancy in years 23.5 25.0 27.0 29.5 33.6 37.4 42.6 44.9 46.7

1950-2015

period Life expectancy in
years 		period Life expectancy in
years
1950-1955 47.9 1985-1990 70.3
1955-1960 51.2 1990-1995 72.9
1960-1965 54.8 1995-2000 75.0
1965-1970 58.8 2000-2005 77.2
1970-1975 63.1 2005-2010 79.4
1975-1980 65.0 2010-2015 81.3
1980-1985 67.4

Source: UN World Population Prospects

languages

The Korean language is the mother tongue spoken by the vast majority of the population. English is generally taught as a foreign language in both public and private schools. However, compared to other industrialized countries, general English language skills in the country are relatively low. There is a Chinese minority who speak Mandarin and Cantonese . Some elderly people may still speak Japanese , which was official during the Japanese rule in Korea (1905–1945).

religion

Koreans have historically lived under the religious influences of shamanism , Buddhism , Daoism, or Confucianism . Christianity gained influence through Western missionaries . In 2015, 27.6% of the population were Christians ( Protestants : 19.7%, Catholics : 7.9%), 15.5% were Buddhists and 56.9% had no religion or practiced Confucianism or Daoism. South Korea is one of the most secularized countries in the world.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ population, total | Data. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b c World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations . Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  3. ^ South Korea's fertility rate is the lowest in the world . In: The Economist , June 30, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019. 
  4. ↑ Fertility rate dips below 1 in 2018: official . January 30, 2019. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  5. ↑ Thomas Klassen "South Korean: Aging Tiger" , Global letter 12 January, 2010.
  6. ^ Benjamin Haas: South Korea's fertility rate set to hit record low of 0.96 . In: The Guardian . September 3, 2018, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed February 16, 2019]).
  7. ↑ Reference Populations - Geno 2.0 Next Generation. (2017). The Genographic Project. 15th May 2017
  8. ↑ Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS): Researchers discover Korean genetic roots in 7,700-year-old skull: Korea.net: The official website of the Republic of Korea. Accessed August 29, 2018 .
  9. ^ Population of registered foreigners. In: Korean Statistical Information Service. Ministry of Justice of Korea, accessed February 23, 2016 .
  10. ↑ a b Statistics Korea. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  11. ↑ https://regnum.ru/news/2554761.html
  12. ↑ a b Urban population (% of total) | Data. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .
  13. ↑ World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring health for the SDGs . In: WHO .
  14. ↑ Databook 2017. (PDF) In: UNAids. Retrieved July 4, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Global Obesity Levels - Obesity - ProCon.org. Retrieved February 16, 2019 .
  16. ↑ WHO | World Health Organization ( en )
  17. ^ Suicide rates . In: OECD . 2015. Accessed February 16, 2019.
  18. ^ Life expectancy . Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  19. ↑ Languages ​​in South Korea (en-US) . In: Gap Year , April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2018. 
  20. ^ East Asia / Southeast Asia :: Korea, South - The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved February 15, 2019 .