by Minchan Kim
South Korea is going through a serious problem—fewer and fewer people are having children. This is a big deal because it affects the economy, society, and even the country’s safety. In 2023, the number of babies born per woman dropped to a record low of 0.72, and while it rose slightly to 0.75 in 2024, it’s still one of the lowest in the world (Reuters). Even though the government has tried to fix things, not much has changed. With fewer young people working and more older people retiring, the pressure on younger generations is getting heavier. They’ll have to pay more taxes, support more elderly people, and deal with a slower economy.
There are several reasons why many South Koreans don’t want to have children. First, life is expensive. Housing costs a lot, and raising kids — especially paying for their education — is a huge financial burden.¹
People also work long hours, which makes it hard to take care of a family. On top of that, traditional views about gender roles make women feel like they have to choose between having a career and raising children. Since good childcare options are limited, many couples delay marriage or decide not to have kids at all. There’s also a lot of pressure to succeed in school and at work, so starting a family often feels like a difficult or risky choice.
The government has been trying to help for years. In 2005, it passed a law to deal with the falling birth rate and aging population. Since then, it’s offered things like money for families, longer parental leave, cheaper housing, free childcare, and better access to education. More recently, in 2025, South Korea increased paternity leave from 5 days, and parents can now take time off in three parts instead of all at once (Lockton Global, 2025). The government also raised the amount of money parents can get during parental leave—from 1.5 million to 2.5 million won per month, adding up to a total of 23.1 million won, 95 thousand reais for a full year (The Korea Herald). But even with all these programs, progress has been slow. Many policies are not well-organized, and some people don’t even know they exist or how to use them.
If fewer babies are born each year, the country will have fewer workers in the future. That means slower economic growth, less spending, and higher costs for things like pensions and healthcare for older people. Young people will have to pay more to support the growing number of elderly citizens. This can lead to stress—not just financially, but emotionally too. It also affects national security. Right now, South Korea relies on young men for mandatory military service. But with fewer people being born, the number of available soldiers is dropping fast. In 2025, there will be around 226,000 20-year-old men available to serve, but by 2040, that number could drop to just 130,000 (CNA). The military already shrank from 620,000 soldiers in 2017 to 500,000 in 2022 (The Diplomat).
To really solve this problem, South Korea needs to do more than just give out money. Having and raising kids should be treated as something that helps the whole country, not just individual families. First, the government should make it easier for people to balance work and family life. That could mean shorter work hours or more flexible schedules. Second, gender equality needs to improve—men should help more with childcare, and women should be supported in their careers. Public campaigns can help change old ideas about marriage and parenting. The country might also need to welcome more immigrants to keep the workforce going, and invest in technology to make up for the smaller number of workers.
South Korea’s low birth rate is a serious problem that’s already affecting the country’s economy, society, and military. The government has made some efforts, but bigger changes are needed. Making life more affordable, updating social expectations, and creating better working conditions will all help. If these steps aren’t taken soon, the challenges will only grow—and the future will become even harder for the next generation.
¹ This data was found using the cost-of-living comparison tool on MyLifeElsewhere.com, which compares average prices for goods and services between countries. According to the site’s 2024 data, South Korea is approximately 35% more expensive than Brazil overall, and childcare costs are about 50.8% higher.
Source: https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/south-korea/brazil
References
https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/south-korea/brazil
https://global.lockton.com/us/en/news-insights/south-korea-expands-family-leave-entitlements
https://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241217050084
https://www.cna.org/our-media/indepth/2024/08/declining-demographics-challenge-south-koreas-defense
https://thediplomat.com/2024/03/battling-the-numbers-south-koreas-military-downsizes-amid-challenging-demographic-landscape
EAC PRESS 
Well done, Minchan! This article was well researched and written. I look forward to reading more pieces in the future.
LikeLike
The low Birthrates in more developed areas are starting to become a problem among many countries, and many countries like Korea will experience a tremendous loss in their workforce unless they manage to completely change their culture’s attitude towards children in 2-3 generation. This article reflects exactly this, and your remarks on the toxic long hours Koreans have at work affecting their homelife is very prevalent. The government needs to change, and pass more laws regarding overtime and abuse of employees.
LikeLike
I always heard of low birth rate around the world, but never knew of such a fact occuring in Korea. I agree with you on various points, such as how this occurence becomes a financial burden and economic problem in Korea, and how Korea should treat this issue with more solutions rather than financial support for the families. Overall, very interesting article, I enjoyed reading it.
LikeLike
From this article, readers can learn why Korea has low brith rate. In this article it contains various evidence, so it helped readers to understand the hard reasons. It also has specific number of percentage to help to accept it realistically. This article will be helpful for people who have interest in business or economic of the World.
LikeLike