TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The continuous decline of birthrate in South Korea is beginning to cause concern within the nation - after a simulation predicted that if the low birthrate remains unaddressed, the nation will cease to exist by 2750. It is known that South Korea's birthrate has dropped to 1.19 child per woman of child-bearing age in 2013.
According to data released by the South Korean national research center (NARS) in Seoul on Tuesday, the current population of 50 million people will shrink to 40 million by 2056, and to a worrying level of 10 million in 2136.
The simulation continued to predict that the 'last South Korean' will live until 2750, before going extinct completely. Although the simulation's is based on the worst-case scenario, the threat posed by a low birthrate is all too real. Japan, Taiwan and Singapore - three nations also suffering from a worryingly low birthrate - is beginning to show signs of an economic slow-down as a result of their ageing populations.
In South Korea, around 38 percent of the population is expected to reach retirement age in 2050. Japan's statistic is no better - 39.6 percent of the population is expected to retire in the same year.
David Coleman, a population expert from Oxford University, has warned that a low birthrate could threaten the survival of not only ethnic groups - but also states. He urged the South Korean government to act seriously in order to stem the declining birthrate, as reported by the Telegraph.
