South Korea is facing a significant challenge with its declining fertility rate amid shifting global population trends.
In an interesting development, dog strollers have become more popular than baby strollers in the country. This trend reflects the broader issue of South Korea’s rapidly falling birth rate, which hit a historic low in 2023.
According to data from the e-commerce platform Gmarket, sales of pet strollers have surpassed baby strollers for the first time this year. During the first three quarters of the year, 43% of strollers sold were for infants, while 57% were for pets, mainly dogs and cats.
The national statistical organisation said the fertility rate is expected to be 0.72 this year and fall below 0.7 to 0.68 in 2024 before rising again.
The proportion of infant stroller sales compared to the total has decreased from 67% in 2021 and 64% in 2020 to 43% this year. Meanwhile, the share of pet stroller sales has increased from 33% in 2021 to 36% in 2022, reaching 57% this year.
The news portal, referencing data from Statistics Korea, reported that the total fertility rate—representing the average number of children born per woman—was 0.78 in 2022, the lowest globally. This rate is projected to decline further, with forecasts predicting a drop to 0.72 this year and a fall below 0.7 to 0.68 in 2024 before it begins to rise again.
Meanwhile, the number of households raising pets is increasing. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs shows that more than 6 million households had pets last year, compared to 3.6 million in 2012.
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