SEOUL -- South Korea's total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.78 last year, the lowest out of the 38 members of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as young people become increasingly reluctant to marry due to a lack of quality jobs, high housing costs and fierce educational competition.
For every 100 women, 78 babies are expected to be born throughout their lifetimes, down from 81 a year earlier, Statistics Korea announced Wednesday. The number of newborn babies also dropped 4.4% to 249,000 in 2022.
