Japan, Singapore, and South Korea all have record low birth rates in 2023, and many regions in Asia are facing a severe population crisis, with rising social service costs and industrial layoffs expected in the near future. This is the latest evidence that it leads to .
South Korea is already mired in the undesirable situation of the world’s worst birth crisis, with the Statistics Korea Census Division predicting on Wednesday that the birth rate will be the lowest on earth in 2023, with only 0.72 children per fertile woman. revealed to be a person. Less than 1.3 children per woman is considered “very low fertility,” but a stable population requires at least 2.1.
Using another common metric, South Korea’s number of newborns per 2,000 people fell to 4.5, down from an already alarming 4.9 the previous year.
“The number of newborns in 2023 will be 230,000, a decrease of 19,200 from the previous year, a decrease of 7.7%.” report Lim Young-il, head of the Census Division.
The recent decline in birthrates comes despite huge spending by the South Korean government to ease the economic burden of motherhood and a vigorous public relations campaign to encourage young couples to marry and have children. Ta. Improving the birth rate is one of the top priorities of President Yoon Seok-yeol’s government.
South Korean politicians and academics have warned that if the population decline is not reversed, the country faces “national extinction,” but Oxford University professor David Coleman was the first to issue this warning. . predicted In 2006, it was predicted that South Korea could become the first country to experience population extinction.
The number of babies born last year wasn’t such good news in Japan. fell It was a record low, and the country’s population declined by the largest amount in history.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of births decreased by 5.1 percent to 758,631 people, and the total population decreased by 831,872 people. include Foreign residents. While the number of new marriages has fallen to its lowest level since World War II, the number of divorces has increased significantly.
This figure came as a surprise to the Japanese government, which had previously estimated that the number of births would not fall below 760,000 until 2035.
“The next six years or so until the 2030s, when the young population begins to rapidly decline, will be our last chance to reverse this trend. We have no time to waste.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned on tuesday.
Japanese researchers focused on a decline in marriage as a major factor in the population decline, as Japan, like many Asian societies, has a strong cultural aversion to out-of-wedlock births.china started Under experiment Efforts are underway to remove social prejudice against single-parent families and provide more generous subsidies, but Japan has been reluctant to take that step.
Singapore’s birth rate is Dropped Last year it fell below 1.0 for the first time in history, but it will drop to 1.12 in 2021 and 1.04 in 2022.
Singaporean authorities blame some of the decline on delays in marriages and pregnancies caused by the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, a trend that should have started reversing long ago.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Indrani Raja told Parliament on Wednesday that young Singaporeans remain interested in marriage and starting a family, but data shows their interest in both has increased over the past five years. He claimed that it has been shown to be fading.
“With fewer births, we will face a reduced workforce. It will become increasingly difficult to maintain our dynamism, attract global companies and create opportunities for the next generation.” “It will be,” she warned.
“Even with immigration, there are not enough local workers to continue to have good economic growth. Therefore, we must continue to welcome a diverse foreign workforce to complement our local workforce. “Hmm,” she said.
Indrani Said People are increasingly hesitant to start a family because they worry about the “financial costs of raising children, the pressure to be good parents, or the difficulty of managing work and family commitments.” There is.
Singapore recently introduced a scheme that gives fathers four weeks of paid parental leave, up from the previous two weeks. Granting this additional leave is voluntary for employers, but if granted, the government will compensate.
Indrani said his office is encouraging employers to offer more family-friendly work schedules and maternity benefits. She frankly encouraged people to have more babies, saying, “Singapore needs more Singaporeans.”
“Ultimately, it will take a collective effort as a society to create the family-friendly workplace culture that our members want. As parents, employers and colleagues, we all have a role to play.” she said. Said.
Singapore has been a bit more proactive in supporting its population levels through immigration than other Asian governments. Indrani said 23,500 people were granted new citizenship last year and another 34,500 were granted permanent residency.total population Singapore’s population is just under 6 million.
“We continue to maintain a measured and steady pace of immigration, which cushions the impact of demographic trends on the size and age profile of our national population,” Indrani said.
