Shrinking Korea

This is the text version of the interactive 3D documentary. 한국어

Shrinking Korea

In 1970 about a million babies were born in Korea in one year; today it is less than a quarter of that. Why, and what changes next? 12 short steps, each with a 3D population pyramid where every dot is 10,000 people.

Open the 3D documentary

Chapter 1 · Korea today

1. The shape in 1970

   Lots of children, few older people — a pyramid wide at the bottom

2. A hall of 100 seats

   Seat every baby born in one year in a single hall

3. Less than one

   Total fertility rate: 0.72

Chapter 2 · Why it happened

1. Fewer marriages

   In Korea, most babies are born to married couples

2. Marrying later

   Women’s age at first marriage: 24.8 → 31.6

3. Everyone to Seoul

   Share living in the Seoul region: 28.7% → 50.8%

4. What it takes to raise a child

   Money, time, and reasons tangled together

Chapter 3 · What changes

1. The pyramid flips

   The base shrinks and the top grows — 1970 → 2072

2. The weight to carry

   Older people per 100 working-age people: 27 → 103

3. Fewer hands

   Working-age people: 36.5 million → 23.5 million (2050)

4. Emptying schools

   Ages 0–14: 5.6 million → 3.8 million (2040)

Finale · A future not yet written

1. A future not yet written

   About 11.6 million people in 2072 who are not yet decided

Population data come from the UN World Population Prospects 2024: estimates up to 2023, and from 2024 a projection (medium scenario) calculated from assumptions about births, deaths and migration. Every number comes with its source.