There were more deaths than births in South Korea for the first time last year. Here’s why that matters

Jan 8, 2021

A South Korean senior model Kim Chil-doo, 65-years-old, talks with a younger model in Seoul, South Korea

South Korea is going through a major demographic shift. Image: REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Charlotte Edmond

Senior Writer, Forum Agenda

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a graph showing how Japan and South Korea's populations are declining

Populations have declined in both Japan and South Korea. Image: Statista

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Global total fertility rate distributed by maternal age group (A) and number of livebirths by GBD super-region, for both sexes combined (B), 1950–2017

Africa's population is set to increase the most. Image: The Lancet

The population living in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North Africa and the Middle East has increased substantially. Image: The Lancet

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