'Women to outnumber men in Korea in 9 years,' says Statistics Korea

There will be more women than men in Korea in 2028. It is because Korea’s tradition of preferring sons is declining, and women simply live longer than men. As the number of women increases, economic participation of women will become more active.

According to the Statistics Korea’s “Population Projection from 2017 to 2047,” which averaged out all scenarios including births and deaths, women will outnumber men by 2028. The female population in 2028 is projected to reach 25.97 million and to outnumber men (25.97 million) for the first time since the projection started in 1960. The sex ratio, which shows the male population for every 100 women, is projected to fall below 100 for the first time in 2028.

The trend is expected to continue on for a while and the sex ratio will keep decreasing. The Statistics Korea projects that the sex ratio will decrease to 98.3 and will not rebound until 2047.

“With the preference of sons fading away and women living longer than men, the female population is bound to increase in the future,” an insider of the Statistics Korea said.


Hye-Ryung Choi herstory@donga.com