韩国未出生的未来：了解低生育率趋势

Understanding Low‑Fertility Trends Korea’s Unborn Future UNDERSTANDING LOW‑FERTILITY TRENDS This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed andarguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty overany territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use ofsuch data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements inthe West Bank under the terms of international law. Note by the Republic of Türkiye The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no singleauthority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic ofNorthern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiyeshall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”. Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European UnionThe Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. Theinformation in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Photo credits:Cover © Vincent Koen, OECD. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found at: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/support/corrigenda.html.© OECD 2025 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) This work is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. By using this work, you accept to be bound by the terms of this licence(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Attribution– you must cite the work.Translations– you must cite the original work, identify changes to the original and add the following text:In the event of any discrepancy between the original work and thetranslation, only the text of original work should be considered valid.Adaptations– you must cite the original work and add the following text:This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed inthis adaptation should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its Member countries.Third-party material– the licence does not apply to third-party material in the work. If using such material, you are responsible for obtaining permission from the third party and forany claims of infringement.You must not use the OECD logo, visual identity or cover image without express permission or suggest the OECD endorses your use of the work.Any dispute arising under this licence shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Arbitration Rules 2012. The seat of arbitration shallbe Paris (France). The number of arbitrators shall be one. Preface Korea is facing an unprecedented demographic challenge, with the lowest fertility rate in the world. In 2023,the country’s total fertility rate was down to 0.72, reflecting a profoundshift with far-reaching implicationsfor the economy, labour market, and social structures. At the heart of Korea’s demographic dilemma lies a sharp trade-off preventing both women and men fromliving balanced lives combining career and family.Korea has made significant strides in family policiesover the years. However, they still fail to fully meet the diverse needs of working parents. Moreover, rigidgender norms and entrenched labour market practices further exacerbate these challenges, especially forwomen, who are often forced to choose between pursuing a career and raising a family. This bookhighlights that family policies can only reach their full potential when they are paired with efforts tomakeworking hoursshorter and more flexibleand active promotion ofgender equality in the workplace. In response to this challenge, this book, a joint effort between the Korea Institute for Health and SocialAffairs (KIHASA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is a go-toreference for anyone trying to understand ultra-low fertility in Korea. It is also a good case study for anyoneanalysing falling fertility in different country contexts, as the underlying drivers are similar across the OECDand indeed globally. The findings presented in this book are based on two OECD Economics Department Working Papers,produced jointly by KIHASA and OECD experts:Korea’s Unborn Future: Lessons from OECD Experience,andWomen’s Employment and Fertility in South Korea: A Review of Recent Research. The book alsodraws on a special chapter in the 2024 OECD Economic Survey of Ko