In the country with the world's lowest birth rate, fertility clinics are booming

South Korea is facing a serious problem with its birth rate, which is the lowest in the world. Despite this, fertility clinics are seeing more patients than ever before. Women like Jang Sae-ryeon and Kim Mi-ae are determined to have children, even though the process is difficult and expensive. When Kim Mi-ae started her second round of IVF in November, she was surprised by how crowded the clinics were. She waited over three hours for her appointment, even though she had booked in advance. She joked that it seemed like everyone had made a New Year's resolution to have a baby.

The demand for fertility treatments in South Korea has grown rapidly. From 2018 to 2022, the number of treatments increased by almost 50 percent, reaching 200,000. In Seoul, one in six babies born last year was conceived with the help of fertility treatment. Experts believe this is because attitudes about family planning are changing. Younger generations want to have more control over their lives, including when and how they have children. In the past, people might have accepted it if they could not have children, but now many women are freezing their eggs or trying IVF.

The government is watching these changes closely because the country is in a demographic crisis. One in five South Koreans is now over 65, and the number of babies being born is at an all-time low. The birth rate has dropped from 0. 98 babies per woman in 2018 to just 0. 72 in 2023. If this trend continues, the population could shrink by half in the next 60 years. However, there was a small increase in the birth rate in 2024, rising to 0. 75. While this is still far below the global average of 2. 2, some experts are cautiously optimistic that it could be the start of a positive trend.

For many women, having children is not just a personal choice but also a financial challenge. Park Soo-in, for example, did not consider having children while she was working long hours at her advertising job. After she got married and found a job with better hours, she started thinking about starting a family. Seeing her friends have children and watching her husband take an active role in preparing for parenthood made her feel more confident. When she and her husband had trouble conceiving, they turned to fertility treatments, like many other couples in South Korea.

Fertility treatments are expensive, even with government support. The government now offers subsidies for egg-freezing and IVF, but many costs are not covered, such as supplements and extra tests. Kim Mi-ae spent more than 2 million won in January alone on IVF. For women like Jang Sae-ryeon, who has gone through five IVF cycles at 1. 5 million won each, the costs add up quickly. She says that without enough money, it is almost impossible to keep trying.

Workplace pressures also make it difficult for women to go through fertility treatments. Although companies are supposed to offer leave for fertility treatment, many women find it hard to take time off. Some, like Kim Mi-ae, do not take any leave at all, while others, like Jang Sae-ryeon, feel pressured by their coworkers to delay treatment. Jang eventually quit her job because she could not balance work and IVF, but then she struggled financially. Despite these challenges, she still dreams of having a child and believes that starting a family is one of the greatest joys in life.

South Korea's low birth rate is caused by many factors, including long work hours, high education costs, and traditional expectations that women should take care of children. Many young people say they want children but cannot afford them. The average age for women to have their first child in South Korea is 33. 6, one of the highest in the world. People spend their youth studying and working, and by the time they are ready to settle down, it is often late. The later women wait, the harder it becomes to get pregnant, both physically and emotionally.

The growing demand for fertility treatments shows that many people still want to have children, even if it is difficult. The government hopes that by supporting these treatments, more people will be able to start families. While the birth rate is still very low, the recent increase gives some hope that things might be starting to change.