Population during pre-liberation period

Population growth before the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 was characterized by high birth and death rates. With the spread of modern medical services during Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, the crude birth rate rose from 3.8 percent to 4.2-4.5 percent. In this period, many people left rural areas and migrated to either Manchuria or Japan for better economic opportunities. The child population grew whereas the working-age population declined and the senior population stagnated. Consequently, the population dependency ratio increased from 77 percent in 1925 to 89 percent in 1944.¹⁾

Source : SaKong, Il and Koh, Youngsun, 2010. The Korean Economy Six Decades of Growth and Development. Seoul: Korea Development Institute.

NOTE

¹⁾ Dependency ratio and other demographic data are presented in the Annex table 6.