Photo : YONHAP News
South Korea’s population is forecast to dip 30 spots in the world ranking in line with the current declining trend.
According to a report by Statistics Korea on Monday, the nation’s population, which stands at 52 million this year, is expected to drop to 36 million by 2072.
By country, India tops the 2024 ranking with a population of one-point-45 billion. South Korea, which currently ranks 29th, is forecast to fall to 59th place by 2072, with a growth rate declining from zero-point-07 to minus one-point-31 percent.
The global population, meanwhile, is projected to surge from eight-point-16 billion to ten-point-22 billion with growth rate dropping from zero-point-86 to zero-point-13 percent during the same period.
Amid the rapidly aging society, the ratio of elderly who are 65 or older among the South Korean population is expected to become the highest in the world after Hong Kong and Puerto Rico by 2072, rising from the current 19-point-two percent to 47-point-seven percent.
In comparison, that ratio for the world is forecast to rise from ten-point-two to 20-point-three percent.