Children per Woman in South Korea: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Every statistic about a nation is ultimately a story about the changing shape of human families. In the case of South Korea, the average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime has undergone a transformation across three centuries. This data traces the intimate realities of daily life, households, and generations, reflecting how the rhythm of birth has been rewritten over time.

The historical arc moves steadily from an era of larger families down to the present day. In the 1800s estimate, the average stood at 4.88 births. By 1900 it was 4.09 births, and it continued a gradual descent through the decades, reaching 3.78 in the 1950s, 2.51 in the 1970s, and 1.45 in the 1990s. In the 2020s, children per woman in South Korea stands at 0.84 births, ranking #157 of 157 countries. Projections suggest a gradual rise ahead, moving toward 1.1 in the 2030s, 1.28 in the 2040s, 1.41 in the 2050s, 1.49 in the 2060s, 1.56 in the 2070s, 1.6 in the 2080s, 1.63 in the 2090s, and 1.65 in the 2100s projection.

If you were born in South Korea across these different eras, the family landscape surrounding you would look entirely different, shifting from homes filled with many siblings to unprecedented smaller households. Every value here is a statistical fact about the lives actually lived there, mapping out the shifting horizons of the future. Where do YOU rank among everyone ever born? →