Korea has one of the lowest fertility rates

A United Nations population report shows Korea having one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, a local health and welfare federation said Wednesday, according to the Yonhap News.



The 2009 report by the United Nations Population Fund, claimed Korea`s total fertility rate (TFR) reached 1.22, which is the second lowest among 185 countries checked, the Planned Population Federation of Korea (PPFK).



The lowest number was 1.21 tallied for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the world average reaching 2.54, it said.



TFR represent the average number of children born to a woman during her child-bearing years.



The federation supported by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, said the country`s fertility rate was also lower than numbers for developed industrialized countries that reached 1.64.



The PPFK added that Korea, with a population of 48.3 million people, ranked 26th in terms of total population among 186 countries examined.

China and India came in first and second with 1.3 billion and 1.2 billion people respectively, with North Korea ranking 47th with 23.9 million people.



The public service organization said the average life expectancy of a Korean man reached 76.2 years or 32nd place in the world with numbers for women hitting 82.8 years or 17th place.



The global average was 65.8 years for a man and 70.2 years for women, with numbers for advanced industrialized countries reaching 73.9 and 80.8 each.