South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rate, a struggle with lessons for us all.
A woman holding her daughter looks at a view of Seoul in 2019. The fertility rate in South Korea, which has the world’s lowest rate, hit 0.78 in February.
A woman holding her daughter looks at a view of Seoul in 2019. The fertility rate in South Korea, which has the world’s lowest rate, hit 0.78 in February.
Yun-Jeong Kim grew up imagining what her future family would look like — married with several kids, a nice home and a dog. But when the lease on her apartment in Seoul, South Korea, became too much to afford, she found herself somewhere she’d never imagined: 31 years old and living back at home with her younger brother and their parents.
Kim, a product designer and art instructor, calls her hopes of one day having children “just a fantasy” — especially now, when housing costs are soaring, the job market is oversaturated and marriage rates are plummeting.
