South Korea is facing a serious problem with its declining fertility rate, as the world’s population dynamics are changing. According to recent studies, in South Korea, dog strollers are now more popular than baby strollers. This result highlights a more general issue on the country’s rapidly declining birth rate, which is set to reach a historic low by 2023.
Citing a report by e-commerce platform operator Gmarket, Korea Times, The report said that for the first time this year, sales of strollers made for pets have surpassed those made for children. Data released on Sunday showed that 43 percent of the total strollers sold on the platform during the first three quarters of this year were for human babies, while the remaining 57 percent of strollers were designed for animals, mainly dogs and cats.
The proportion of baby stroller sales among total strollers fell from 67 percent in 2021 and 64 percent in 2020 to 43 percent this year, meaning that the proportion of pet strollers increased from 33 percent in 2021 to 36 percent in 2022 and 57 percent this year.
The total fertility rate – the average number of children born per woman – was 0.78 in 2022, one of the lowest in the world, the news portal reported, citing data from Statistics Korea. The figure is projected to fall further. The National Statistical Organization said the fertility rate is expected to be 0.72 this year and fall below 0.7 to 0.68 in 2024, before rising again.
Meanwhile, the number of households with pets is on the rise. Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs show that more than 6 million households had pets last year, up from 3.6 million in 2012.
The situation is particularly dire in South Korea, where declining birth rates reflect broader socio-economic challenges, including the high cost of living and housing. As South Korea grapples with these demographic shifts, the growing popularity of dog carriages compared to baby carriages is a symbolic indicator of the country’s struggle with low birth rates and changing social priorities.