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szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen -> 
South Korea reports population drop
    2021-01-07  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

South Korea recorded more deaths than births in 2020 for the first time ever, prompting calls for action to revive the country’s falling fertility rate.

For years, South Korea has struggled with a growing demographic crisis. The country’s fertility rate has repeatedly hit record lows, and ranks near the bottom of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Meanwhile, South Korea’s population continues to age, sending the country into a demographic decline.

But last year’s census data, released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Monday, appears even more alarming.

There were only 275,815 births, a record low — compared to 307,764 deaths, a 3.1 percent increase in fatalities from the previous year. This is the first time South Korea has hit the “population death cross,” when the number of deaths surpasses births, the ministry said in a news release — and the first time the total population has shrunk.

The population continues to age rapidly, the census showed: 32.7 percent of people are in their 40s and 50s, and nearly a quarter are over the age of 60.

“The constant decline in birth rate shows that low birth rate remains as a big issue in Korea,” the release said. “There needs to be a fundamental change in the governmental policies such as welfare, education and national defense, accordingly.”

The release didn’t mention causes of death, or how much the COVID-19 pandemic influenced last year’s figures. The pandemic has killed 981 people in South Korea so far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

But Korean experts have previously warned that the pandemic could skew the number of births and deaths — both because of the higher number of COVID-related deaths, and because the circumstances of the pandemic could discourage couples from having children.

In a report published in December 2020, the Bank of Korea warned that the country’s falling birth rates and aging population would likely “accelerate” due to the impact of COVID-19. The pandemic caused greater job and income insecurity for young adults in their 20s and 30s — potentially disrupting their plans to start a family.

Economic and personal anxieties may cause them to delay having children; in some cases, a temporary postponement on childbirth could turn permanent, said the report.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【死亡人数】 sǐwáng rénshù fatality death

【转向】zhuǎnxiàng skew suddenly change direction or position

韩国2020年记录的死亡人数有史以来第一次超过了出生人数,这促使人们呼吁出台措施提高不断降低的生育率。

多年来,韩国一直在和日益严重的人口危机作斗争。该国的生育率屡创历史新低,几乎在全球垫底。与此同时,韩国的人口继续老化,导致人口减少。

但是韩国内政安全部周一公布的去年人口普查数据更令人担忧。

数据显示,韩国去年新生儿数量只有27万5815人,创历史新低,与此同时,死亡人数达到30万7764人,同比增加3.1%。内政安全部在新闻稿中宣布,这是韩国首次出现死亡人数超过出生人数的“人口死亡数拐点”,也是总人口第一次出现缩水。

普查数据显示,韩国人口继续快速老化:32.7%的人口为四十多或五十多岁,近四分之一的人口超过60岁。

新闻稿称:“生育率的持续下降表明低生育率依然是韩国的一个大问题。政府需要相应地在福利、教育、国防等政策上做出根本改变。”

新闻稿没有提及死亡原因,以及新冠疫情对去年数据的影响有多大。约翰斯▪霍普金斯大学的统计数据显示,迄今为止疫情已经导致韩国981人丧生。

但是先前韩国专家曾警告,疫情可能会改变韩国的出生和死亡人数。一方面是因为新冠疫情导致更多人死亡,另一方面是因为疫情会遏制韩国夫妇生育的愿望。

在2020年12月发布的一份报告中,韩国银行警告称,该国的生育率下降和人口老龄化可能会在新冠疫情的影响下 “加速”。受疫情影响,二三十岁的年轻人工作和收入更加不稳定,从而有可能打乱他们生孩子的计划。

报告称,经济和个人焦虑或许会让他们推迟要小孩,在某些情况下,暂时推迟生育可能会转变成永久不育。

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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