Fertility rate by age group in South Korea
South Korea: Fertility rate by age group was 0.537 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
0.537
Change on year
down 17.5%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
31.87
in 1950
All-time low
0.537
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate by age group in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 0.537 for fertility rate by age group in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 17.5% on the previous year and down 69.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate by age group in South Korea peaked at 31.87 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.537, in 2023.
That places South Korea 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fertility rate by age group in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.87 | — |
| 1951 | 31.6 | -0.8% |
| 1952 | 31.43 | -0.6% |
| 1953 | 31.07 | -1.1% |
| 1954 | 30.64 | -1.4% |
| 1955 | 30.22 | -1.4% |
| 1956 | 29.95 | -0.9% |
| 1957 | 30.39 | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 30.47 | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 30.18 | -0.9% |
| 1960 | 28.99 | -3.9% |
| 1961 | 27.14 | -6.4% |
| 1962 | 24.57 | -9.5% |
| 1963 | 21.95 | -10.6% |
| 1964 | 19.4 | -11.6% |
| 1965 | 17.78 | -8.3% |
| 1966 | 16.89 | -5.0% |
| 1967 | 15.73 | -6.9% |
| 1968 | 14.34 | -8.9% |
| 1969 | 13.16 | -8.2% |
| 1970 | 12.17 | -7.5% |
| 1971 | 10.96 | -9.9% |
| 1972 | 10.11 | -7.8% |
| 1973 | 11.35 | +12.3% |
| 1974 | 12.5 | +10.2% |
| 1975 | 13.23 | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 14.01 | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 14.33 | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 14.18 | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 14.49 | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 13.16 | -9.2% |
| 1981 | 14.73 | +11.9% |
| 1982 | 15.3 | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 13.5 | -11.8% |
| 1984 | 11.86 | -12.2% |
| 1985 | 9.93 | -16.2% |
| 1986 | 8.54 | -14.0% |
| 1987 | 7.05 | -17.5% |
| 1988 | 5.75 | -18.5% |
| 1989 | 4.62 | -19.5% |
| 1990 | 4.27 | -7.6% |
| 1991 | 4.29 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 4.48 | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 4.27 | -4.7% |
| 1994 | 3.88 | -9.3% |
| 1995 | 3.56 | -8.1% |
| 1996 | 3.31 | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 3.1 | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 2.92 | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 2.76 | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 2.67 | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.53 | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 2.72 | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 2.54 | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 2.35 | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 2.19 | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 2.18 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 2.11 | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 1.73 | -18.4% |
| 2009 | 1.69 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 1.76 | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.85 | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 1.74 | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 1.74 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 1.8 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 1.64 | -8.8% |
| 2016 | 1.48 | -9.8% |
| 2017 | 1.13 | -23.8% |
| 2018 | 1.18 | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 0.925 | -21.5% |
| 2020 | 0.799 | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 0.539 | -32.5% |
| 2022 | 0.651 | +20.8% |
| 2023 | 0.537 | -17.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.537 is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.54, 7% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.537 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.42, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 30.78 | 29.95 | 31.87 | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.99 | 13.16 | 28.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.73 | 10.11 | 14.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.44 | 4.62 | 15.3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.69 | 2.76 | 4.48 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.27 | 1.69 | 2.72 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.52 | 0.925 | 1.85 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6315 | 0.537 | 0.799 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 231 San Marino 1.16 compare
- 232 Denmark 1.14 compare
- 233 Hong Kong 1.12 compare
- 235 North Korea 0.512 compare
- 236 Macao 0.465 compare
More population data for South Korea
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.17 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3601 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.45 (2100)
- Population density 223.86 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 599,530 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -1.45 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.007 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate by age group in South Korea?
- Fertility rate by age group in South Korea was 0.537 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate by age group recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 31.87 in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility rate by age group recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.537 in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for fertility rate by age group?
- South Korea ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate by age group rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate by age group. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).