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Around the world, the decline in birth rates has been widely acknowledged, discussed, and recognized in credible studies. More women are having fewer children, waiting longer to have children, or forgoing motherhood altogether.

There are all sorts of reasons for this. Many people want to feel financially secure before starting families. Though in today's economy, with the rise of inflation and other expenses, financial security is harder to come upon.

Then, there's the rise of the child-free movement, where some women and men alike decide they'd rather forgo having kids completely.

However, while the decline in birth rates is regularly talked about, what tends to garner less traction is the decline in fertility rates among some people. In South Korea, this decline has marked a new milestone.

A closer look at low fertility rates in South Korea

This week, national statistics from South Korea confirmed the nation's fertility rate has fallen to 0.78 as of last year. A 2.1 fertility rate in the nation is viewed as ideal to preserve a well-balanced population.

However, this news isn't totally shocking. After all, since 2015, South Korea has seen a considerable fall in its birth rate. That's not to mention the fewer births than deaths than happened in the nation back in 2020.

Women who do choose motherhood are also waiting longer to do so in South Korea. As of 2022, 33.5 stands as the average age of when a woman gives birth.

Experts believe that drops in fertility rates and birth rates are a cumulative result of the following factors:

• Growing living expenses
• Shifting dispositions toward women's rights and marriage
• Declining wages
• Cultures in the workplace
• A lack of contentment among younger people

Unlikely to change?

The data tracking falling birth rates and fertility rates has been years in the making. This shift in attitude towards parenthood (and motherhood, in particular) did not happen overnight.

It is for these reasons that fewer people may have kids in the future. Already, some experts are sounding the alarm about a rapidly aging population with less folks to care for them.

At the end of the day, though, everyone will have to wait and see how it all plays out in the long run.