Seoul, Sep 23 (IANS): South Korea's global population ranking was expected to fall by 30 notches for the next five decades to 59th place in 2072, statistical office data showed on Monday.

The country's population was estimated to drop 30.8 per cent to 36 million in 2072 compared to 52 million in 2024, while the world population was projected to jump 25.2 per cent from 8.16 billion to 10.22 billion in the cited period, according to Statistics Korea.

South Korea's population ranking was forecast to tumble from this year's 29th place to 59th in 2072 in the world, Xinhua news agency reported.

The gloomy demographic outlook was attributable to the country's chronically low birth rate and the rapidly ageing population amid the widespread social trend, in which the younger generation delays or gives up on getting married and having babies.

The proportion of those aged 65 and older to the total population was forecast to surge from 19.2 per cent in 2024 to 47.7 per cent in 2072 in South Korea, while the corresponding figure for the entire world was expected to increase from 10.2 per cent to 20.3 per cent in the same period.

The proportion of the working-age population, or those aged 15-64, was predicted to plunge from this year's 70.2 per cent to 45.8 per cent in 2072 in South Korea, while the world's corresponding proportion was estimated to slide from 65.1 per cent to 61.5 per cent in the cited period.