Fertility vs child mortality in South Korea
South Korea: Fertility vs child mortality was 0.72 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
0.72
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.18
in 1957
All-time low
0.72
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility vs child mortality in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 0.72 for fertility vs child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs child mortality in South Korea peaked at 6.18 in 1957 and was at its lowest, 0.72, in 2023.
That places South Korea 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fertility vs child mortality in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.06 | — |
| 1951 | 6.09 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 6.12 | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 6.17 | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 6.17 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 6.17 | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 6.17 | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.18 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 6.15 | -0.4% |
| 1959 | 6.1 | -0.9% |
| 1960 | 5.99 | -1.7% |
| 1961 | 5.8 | -3.2% |
| 1962 | 5.56 | -4.2% |
| 1963 | 5.33 | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 5.07 | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 4.89 | -3.6% |
| 1966 | 4.78 | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 4.62 | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 4.51 | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 4.45 | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 4.46 | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 4.26 | -4.5% |
| 1972 | 4.02 | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 3.8 | -5.4% |
| 1974 | 3.56 | -6.5% |
| 1975 | 3.31 | -6.8% |
| 1976 | 3.12 | -5.9% |
| 1977 | 2.95 | -5.3% |
| 1978 | 2.7 | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 2.75 | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 2.73 | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 2.67 | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 2.43 | -8.9% |
| 1983 | 2.1 | -13.5% |
| 1984 | 1.83 | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 1.71 | -6.9% |
| 1986 | 1.62 | -4.8% |
| 1987 | 1.57 | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 1.56 | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 1.56 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 1.6 | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.7 | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 1.74 | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.68 | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 1.67 | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 1.65 | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 1.6 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 1.55 | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 1.5 | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.47 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 1.47 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 1.34 | -8.5% |
| 2002 | 1.23 | -8.6% |
| 2003 | 1.2 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.16 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.11 | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 1.15 | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 1.22 | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 1.19 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 1.18 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.23 | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 1.26 | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 1.27 | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.21 | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 1.2 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 1.2 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.14 | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 1.03 | -9.2% |
| 2018 | 0.951 | -8.1% |
| 2019 | 0.881 | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 0.812 | -7.8% |
| 2021 | 0.783 | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 0.78 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 0.72 | -7.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.72 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5, 48% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.72 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13, 34% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.14 | 6.06 | 6.18 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.1 | 4.45 | 5.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.49 | 2.7 | 4.46 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.98 | 1.56 | 2.73 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.62 | 1.47 | 1.74 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.22 | 1.11 | 1.47 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.14 | 0.881 | 1.27 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7738 | 0.72 | 0.812 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 231 Puerto Rico 0.941 compare
- 232 Taiwan 0.87 compare
- 233 Saint Barthelemy 0.801 compare
- 235 Hong Kong 0.717 compare
- 236 Macao 0.662 compare
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility vs child mortality in South Korea?
- Fertility vs child mortality in South Korea was 0.72 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs child mortality recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.18 in 1957.
- What is the lowest fertility vs child mortality recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.72 in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for fertility vs child mortality?
- South Korea ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility vs child mortality rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).