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Korea – Fertility Rate

Name: Korea Fertility Rate
Creator: World Bank
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime if current age-specific fertility rates persisted. A rate below 2.1 is below replacement level. · World Bank

0.72 −0.06 from 2022 G20 rank: 2nd · all-time high: 5.99 (1960)

Korea's fertility rate was 0.72 in 2023, a decrease of +0.06 from 0.78 in 2022. This ranked 2nd in the G20. The all-time high was 5.99 in 1960.

APA

Korea Fertility Rate. HistorySaid. Retrieved March 11, 2026, from https://historysaid.com/korea/fertility-rate

BibTeX

@misc{historysaid_korea_fertility-rate,
  title = {Korea Fertility Rate},
  url = {https://historysaid.com/korea/fertility-rate},
  publisher = {HistorySaid},
  year = {2026}
}

Data & Projection▾

Korea Fertility Rate – Historical Data
Year	Value	Change	Rank
2026* trend	0.59	–	–
2025* trend	0.63	–	–
2023	0.72	−0.06	2nd
2022	0.78	−0.03	3rd
2021	0.81	−0.03	3rd
2020	0.84	−0.08	1st
2019	0.92	−0.06	2nd
2018	0.98	−0.08	3rd
2017	1.05	−0.12	3rd
2016	1.17	−0.07	4th
2015	1.24	+0.03	6th
2014	1.21	+0.02	2nd
2013	1.19	−0.11	5th
2012	1.30	+0.05	8th
2011	1.24	+0.02	6th
2010	1.23	+0.08	5th
2009	1.15	−0.04	3rd
2008	1.19	−0.07	3rd
2007	1.26	+0.13	6th
2006	1.13	+0.05	3rd
2005	1.09	−0.08	3rd
2004	1.16	−0.03	3rd
2003	1.19	+0.01	6th
2002	1.18	−0.13	5th
2001	1.31	−0.17	19th
2000	1.48	+0.05	28th
1999	1.43	−0.04	27th
1998	1.46	−0.07	27th
1997	1.54	−0.04	31st
1996	1.57	−0.06	32nd
1995	1.63	−0.02	35th
1994	1.66	+0.00	33rd
1993	1.65	−0.11	29th
1992	1.76	+0.05	38th
1991	1.71	+0.14	26th
1990	1.57	+0.01	14th
1989	1.56	+0.01	15th
1988	1.55	+0.02	12th
1987	1.53	−0.05	14th
1986	1.58	−0.08	16th
1985	1.66	−0.08	17th
1984	1.74	−0.32	22nd
1983	2.06	−0.33	43rd
1982	2.39	−0.18	63rd
1981	2.57	−0.25	69th
1980	2.82	−0.08	72nd
1979	2.90	+0.26	72nd
1978	2.64	−0.35	66th
1977	2.99	−0.01	73rd
1976	3.00	−0.43	69th
1975	3.43	−0.34	78th
1974	3.77	−0.30	81st
1973	4.07	−0.05	85th
1972	4.12	−0.42	80th
1971	4.54	+0.01	86th
1970	4.53	+0.08	82nd
1969	4.45	−0.06	81st
1968	4.51	−0.11	78th
1967	4.62	−0.17	77th
1966	4.78	−0.11	77th
1965	4.89	−0.18	78th
1964	5.07	−0.27	78th
1963	5.33	−0.23	80th
1962	5.56	−0.24	86th
1961	5.80	−0.19	92nd
1960	5.99	–	104th

Show all years (1960–2023)

* Linear trend extrapolation from last 5 data points

Detected Pattern▾

Export Boom Cycle

Current account surplus with strong export growth (>15% YoY), reserve accumulation, and moderate GDP growth. Typical of commodity exporters during price surges.

Reserves YoY +13.6% GDP growth 5.2% C/A balance 0.2%

This pattern occurred 682 times in G20 history, 460 successful

United Arab Emirates 2024

Reserves YoY

+25.6%

GDP growth

4.0%

C/A balance

14.5%

Guatemala 2024

Reserves YoY

+14.6%

GDP growth

3.7%

C/A balance

2.9%

Cambodia 2024

Reserves YoY

+12.6%

GDP growth

6.0%

C/A balance

0.5%

Sri Lanka 2024

Reserves YoY

+38.3%

GDP growth

5.0%

C/A balance

1.2%

Lesotho 2024

Reserves YoY

+18.0%

GDP growth

2.9%

C/A balance

3.9%

Lithuania 2024

Reserves YoY

+20.1%

GDP growth

2.8%

C/A balance

3.3%

HistorySaid – pattern alert

Korea matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2006. Historically, 67% of countries showing this pattern (460 out of 682) saw fertility rate improve within 24 months. View full analysis →