Women Outnumber Men for 1st Time

Women now outnumber men in Korea for the first time. According to statistics by the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs on Sunday, women first overtook men in June with 25.716 million versus 25.715 million, and as of the end of August there are some 4,800 more women than men at 25.735 million.

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Until the end of last year there were 10,676 more men than women, but the gap narrowed to 1,957 at the end of May this year.

By region, women outnumber men by the largest margin in Seoul, where there are 5.11 million women compared to 49.5 million men. Women also outnumber men in Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and North and South Jeolla Provinces.

The ministry attributed the trend to the nation's rapidly aging population and higher life expectancy of women. The 5.32 million women over 60 outnumber men in the age group by 1.13 million. In contrast, men under 60 outnumber women by 1,12 million. 

The ministry also said more girls have been born since 1990, when the birth ratio of boys to girls peaked at 116.5 to 100. It has now fallen to 105.3 to 100.