South Korea's chronically low birthrate and rapidly aging population are now clearly impacting the country's economically active population,... but not only that... it's affecting the composition of households as well.
With several related figures hitting historic firsts,... the latest figures paint a gloomy picture for Korea going forward.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
For the first time in Korean history the country's economically active population of those aged between 15 and 64 contracted last year.
Data released by Statistics Korea on Monday shows the demographic group dropped by zero-point-three-percent from the previous year to around 36-point-2-million in 2017.
It cites low birthrates and a rapidly aging population as the main reasons for the decline... adding that the number of those aged 65 years or older has climbed by more than 14-percent from a year earlier to more than seven-point-one-million last year.
Meanwhile, those aged 14 or younger... increased by around 13-percent on-year to just over 6-point-6-million.
In terms of households,....the total number surpassed the 20-million mark for the first time... mainly due to the growing trend toward smaller households.
Although the proportion of one or two-person households comprised a combined 50-percent, one-member households were the main family type in 2017... accounting for nearly 29-percent.
Those aged 70 or older constituted a staggering 18-percent of single member households in 2017... followed by those in their thirties at around 17-percent.
The general population of those living in Korea increased by zero-point-three-percent from the previous year to record over 51-point-4-million people as of November 2017.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.