Q. Consider the following countries:
1. Italy
2. Japan
3. Nigeria
4. South Korea
5. South Africa
Which of the above countries are frequently mentioned in the media for their low birth rates, or ageing population or declining population?
Exp) option a is the correct answer.
Option 1 is correct. Births in Italy dropped to a new historic low below 400,000 in 2022, as per the national statistics bureau as the population continued to shrink. Last year Italy recorded more than 12 deaths for every seven births and the resident population fell by 179,000 to 58.85 million, ISTAT said in its annual demographic report
Option 2 is correct. The number of babies born in Japan fell for an eighth straight year to a fresh record low in 2023, preliminary government data showed on Tuesday, underscoring the daunting task the country faces in trying to stem depopulation.
The number of births fell 5.1% from a year earlier to 758,631, while the number of marriages slid 5.9% to 489,281 — the first time in 90 years the number fell below 500,000 — foreboding a further decline in the population as out-of-wedlock births are rare in Japan
Option 3 is incorrect. Nigeria is not facing the low population problem. On the contrary, Nigeria’s population is projected to grow from more than 186 million people in 2016 to 392 million in 2050, becoming the world’s fourth most populous country.
Option 4 is correct. South Korea’s fertility rate, already the world’s lowest, continued its dramatic decline in 2023, as women concerned about their career advancement and the financial cost of raising children decided to delay childbirth or to not have babies.
The average number of expected babies for a South Korean woman during her reproductive life fell to a record low of 0.72 from 0.78 in 2022, data from Statistics Korea showed
Option 5 is incorrect. The population of South Africa will increase from 59 million in 2020 to 66 million in 2030 and 80 million in 2080.
Source:
- https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-fertility-rate-dropped-fresh-record-low-2023-2024-02-28/#:~:text=South%20Korea’s%20demographic%20crisis%20has,further%20to%200.68%20in%202024.,%20https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/births-italy-heading-new-record-low-2023-stats-office-2023-10-26/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/number-births-japan-hits-record-low-2023-2024-02-27/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/births-italy-hit-record-low-2022-population-shrinks-further-2023-04-07/
- https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/
5. https://www.theworldcounts.com/populations/countries/south-africa
