Statistics Korea reported a 0.18% on-year to 51.7 million at the end of 2021. In 2020, Statistics Korea projected this drop in population would start in 2029.

The number of expected babies per South Korean woman is poised to drop to the lowest level of 0.82, versus the previous record low of 0.84 recorded in 2020, which was also the world's lowest for the year. In 2021, the number of babies born is forecast at 261,000, compared with last year's 275,000.

People might say, well a shrinking population is no big deal. The South Korean projection (without antiaging technology) is that the median age of people in South Korea in 2070 will have increased from 44 to 62. Half of the people would be near the current retirement age or older. This will happen in Taiwan, Japan, and other Asian and European countries. The current retirement age in South Korea is 60.