South Korea’s current population of around 51.6 million is expected to decline significantly to 36.2 million by 2072 due to critically low birth rates, a statistics report showed.

The portion of seniors aged 65 and above in the population, which came to 17.4 percent in 2022, is expected to soar to 47.7 percent in 2072, according to the biennial report released by state-run Statistics Korea.

Regarding the state of the population, the agency predicted an annual fall of 0.16 percent for a decade starting in 2025, eventually accelerating to a 1.31 percent decline by 2072.

The gloomy outlook came as the country’s fertility rate - the number of children that are expected to be born to a woman over her lifetime - hit a record low of 0.70 in the second quarter of 2023, hovering far below that of other major countries. (Yonhap)