South Korea is a country in Asia, known for its modern technology and ancient palaces. It has a population of 51.7 million, making it the 29th largest country in the world. Its capital is Seoul. South Korea has a advanced economy with strong technology sector.
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South Korea is officially known as The Republic of Korea and is located in the southern part of the Korea peninsula, which neighbors China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. The largest city and capital is Seoul, which has a population of just under 10 million. Under its current constitution, the state is also referred to as The Sixth Republic of South Korea. The country had its first election at 1948 and operates under a powerful presidential system.
Korean and English are the only two languages noted as used in South Korea, and in addition, the ethnicity is listed as homogeneous - meaning the population is over 99% Korean in ethnic background. The median age in South Korea is approximately 41.8 years of age. Life expectancy is approximately 82.5 years of age. Physician density is at approximately 2.3 per 1,000 individuals residing in the country, and hospital beds are at 11.5 available per 1,000 residents.
Korea isn’t a particularly religious nation, with only 44% of the population stating they having a faith. However, they differentiate themselves from many other nations because of how well people of all belief systems coexist peacefully.
The average life expectancy from 2013 WHO data is 81.6 years, which is 16th in the world. Although there has been a significant increase in life expectancy since 1950, South Korea still faces numerous problems in relation to healthcare. One of the major issues it faces is the impact of the environmental pollution on increasing urbanization which has an adverse effect upon life expectancy. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, chronic disease accounts for the majority of diseases in South Korea and is responsible for 81% of deaths. Approximately 19.9% of all adults in the country smoke, leading to health problems and death. South Korea also has the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world, although government efforts have led to recent declines. South Korea had the best rate of influenza vaccination in Asia with 311 people vaccinated per 1000. In 2013, the government’s expenditure on healthcare was 7.17% of the country’s GDP.
Since 2009, South Korea has improved its record for having the world’s lowest birthrate. However, the birthrate still remains low and if this continues, the population is expected to decrease by 13% to 42.3 million in 2050 and extinction by 2750 is a possibility. The country’s birthrate is currently 1.19 children per mother, one of the lowest in the world that is only larger than birthrates in Taiwan, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong.
