A severe crisis means that one of the world’s countries could disappear in the years to come.

The state’s demographic issues have resulted in its citizens facing an uncertain future.

South Korea is experiencing falling birth rates as it is in the grips of a severe fertility crisis.

The Economic Times reports that the situation is made worse by social and economic pressures, as well as gender inequality.

Many women, for instance, reportedly “prioritise careers over families” despite government initiatives.

Immigration and marriage migration are said to offer solutions to an extent.

Tackling gender imbalances is thought to be critical to reversing the population decline and ensuring the country’s more stable future.

South Korea is usually thought of as a rapidly expanding nation enjoying vast economic growth. In 2023, the country’s GDP grew by 1.3%.

The UK, meanwhile, saw just a 0.1% boost.

Experts say the Asian country’s birth rate has decreased to levels so low that, if things continue, South Korea’s population could shrink by two-thirds by 2100.

This is a far cry from the 1960s when the government introduced a family planning policy to reduce birth rates.

Concerned that population growth would exceed the country’s economic development, officials introduced a policy to try to decrease the number of children born.

By 1982, the economy was growing, and the fertility rate, albeit relatively high, had fallen to 2.4. The population replacement level is 2.1.

A year later, the rate fell again, and it has continued to go down since then.

In addition, South Korea is amongst the lowest-ranked nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gender equality.

It is behind in key areas, such as economic participation (112th), education (100th), political empowerment (72nd), and health (47th).

The government has attempted to address this by introducing policies such as offering tax benefits, hiring foreign domestic workers for childcare, and suggesting that men could be exempted from mandatory military service if they have three or more children by the time they are 30 years old.

However, these have not had much of an effect. Moreover, South Korea has not attracted many migrants to settle in the country compared to other countries.

This can be a key driver of the birth rate.