South Korea's population, as had been predicted to happen for decades, started to shrink last year... as a record-low number of births was outpaced by deaths. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, as of December 31st, the population was at just over 51-million-829-thousand a decline from a year earlier of around 20-thousand 800. Births were down 10-point-65 percent... to under 276-thousand... while deaths rose to nearly 308-thousand,... an increase of 3-point-1 percent. For one thing, the decline in births was accompanied by a decrease in new marriages both believed to be partyl related to the pandemic. In South Korea, people 60 and older last year made up 24 percent of the population.
