SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's global population ranking was expected to fall by 30 notches for the next five decades to 59th place in 2072, statistical office data showed Monday.
The country's population was estimated to drop 30.8 percent to 36 million in 2072 compared to 52 million in 2024, while the world population was projected to jump 25.2 percent from 8.16 billion to 10.22 billion in the cited period, according to Statistics Korea.
South Korea's population ranking was forecast to tumble from this year's 29th place to 59th in 2072 in the world.
The gloomy demographic outlook was attributable to the country's chronically low birth rate and the rapidly aging population amid the widespread social trend, in which the younger generation delays or gives up on getting married and having babies.
The proportion of those aged 65 and older to the total population was forecast to surge from 19.2 percent in 2024 to 47.7 percent in 2072 in South Korea, while the corresponding figure for the entire world was expected to increase from 10.2 percent to 20.3 percent in the same period.
The proportion of the working-age population, or those aged 15-64, was predicted to plunge from this year's 70.2 percent to 45.8 percent in 2072 in South Korea, while the world's corresponding proportion was estimated to slide from 65.1 percent to 61.5 percent in the cited period. ■