Koreans — where are we standing?
A fertility rate of 0.80, the highest suicide rate in the OECD, one in three socially isolated, 39.7% of older people in poverty. South Korea, seen through its statistics — and the ground we stand on.
Have you looked at a globe recently?
And have you ever tried to find South Korea on it?
If you have, you will know: South Korea is a country so small it is hard to find on the face of the earth. Let’s look back together at what is happening in that country right now.
Population
- Total fertility rate in 2025: 0.80
- 2025: 254,000 births, 363,000 deaths — a natural decline of 109,000 people
Mind
- Suicide rate in 2025: 27.8 per 100,000, the highest among OECD members
- 51% of deaths among teenagers, and 54% of deaths among people in their twenties, are suicides
- 1.138 million people treated for depression
Relationships
- Social isolation rate: 33%
- An estimated 540,000 young people living isolated or withdrawn
- People with no one to lean on: 2 in 10
Livelihood
- Elderly poverty rate: 39.7%, the highest in the OECD
- Household debt: 88.6% of GDP
- Businesses closed in 2025: 976,000
This is the ground we stand on
By every measure — population, relationships, emotional well-being, livelihood — this is a country in serious condition.
And this is the ground we are standing on.
That is why I started asking questions, and why I started this work.
I will help you find what is essential.
I will guide you toward a world that turns around you.
There is not much time.
Let’s move toward a higher life, together.
Sources: Statistics Korea (National Data Office) — 2025 Births and Deaths (preliminary), 2025 Causes of Death, Quality of Life 2025, 2025 Social Survey / Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service / Office for Government Policy Coordination 2024 Youth Life Survey, Ministry of Health and Welfare / OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025 (analysed by the National Pension Research Institute) / BIS (end of Q4 2025) / Ministry of SMEs and Startups