SEOUL - South Korea's population was expected to fall in almost all regions by 2052 due to the chronically low births, statistical office estimates showed Tuesday.

The country's total population was forecast to slide from 51.67 million in 2022 to 46.27 million in 2052 after peaking at 51.75 million in 2024, according to Statistics Korea.

The number of newborn babies has been on the decline since October 2022 as young couples delayed or gave up on having children owing to economic difficulties such as high housing prices and stubborn unemployment

All of the 17 provinces and cities were projected to record a natural population decline, or more deaths than births, by 2052.

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However, Gyeonggi province, which surrounds the capital Seoul, and the administrative city of Sejong were predicted to see a population growth by 2052 amid an inflow of population into the province and the city.

The number of newborn babies has been on the decline since October 2022 as young couples delayed or gave up on having children owing to economic difficulties such as high housing prices and stubborn unemployment.