S. Korea has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world: report

SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) -- A United Nations population report shows South Korea
having one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, a local health and welfare
federation said Wednesday.
The 2009 report by the United Nations Population Fund, claimed South Korea's
total fertility rate (TFR) reached 1.22, which is the second lowest among 185
countries checked, the Planned Population Federation of Korea (PPFK).
The lowest number was 1.21 tallied for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the world
average reaching 2.54, it said.
TFR represent the average number of children born to a woman during her
child-bearing years.
The federation supported by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs,
said the country's fertility rate was also lower than numbers for developed
industrialized countries that reached 1.64.
The PPFK added that South Korea, with a population of 48.3 million people, ranked
26th in terms of total population among 186 countries examined.
China and India came in first and second with 1.3 billion and 1.2 billion people
respectively, with North Korea ranking 47th with 23.9 million people.
The public service organization said the average life expectancy of a South
Korean man reached 76.2 years or 32nd place in the world with numbers for women
hitting 82.8 years or 17th place.
The global average was 65.8 years for a man and 70.2 years for women, with
numbers for advanced industrialized countries reaching 73.9 and 80.8 each.
The country's infant mortality rate, meanwhile, stood at four deaths for every
1,000 newborns. This placed South Korea in seventh place along with such
countries as Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)