The national birth rate was a mere 1.2 in 2006, the lowest in the world,
according to the World Health Organization yesterday.
The health body’s annual statistics for 2008 said Korea’s birth rate was the
lowest among 193 countries, along with Belarus, the Czech Republic, Poland
and Ukraine.
Korea’s birth rate was 1.6 in 1990 and 1.4 in 2000.
Life expectancy in the country, however, ranked 23rd in the survey at 78.5
years (75 for men and 82 for women). Healthy life expectancy, or the number
of years a person can expect to live in full health, was 68 years (65 for
men and 71 for women).
Japan, Singapore, Hungary and Russia also showed a low birth rate of 1.3,
followed by Italy and Switzerland with 1.4. The figure for the United States
was 2.1 and that for France 1.9. Northern European countries such as Britain
and Norway had a birth rate of 1.8.
Japan had the world’s longest life expectancy with 82.5 years.
North Korea`s birth rate also dropped to 1.9 in 2006 from 2.4 in 1990 and
two in 2000. The communist country’s life expectancy also fell a half year
to 66 years (64 for men and 68 for women).
