-20%

South Korea’s military shrank to 450,000 troops in just six years, driven by a dramatic decline in conscription-age men.

📉 Demographic collapse: The number of 20-year-old men fell by 30% to 230,000. The fertility rate is now just 0.75 children per woman.

⚔️ Dangerous imbalance: North Korea maintains 1.2 million soldiers. South Korea is already short 50,000 troops to meet readiness needs, including 21,000 non-commissioned officers.

Watch: South Korea is only the tip of the iceberg. Four of the five countries with the lowest fertility rates are in Asia. By 2050, one in three people there will be 65 or older.

Opportunities: This drives strong demand for eldercare, healthcare, and senior services. At the same time, the succession crisis is becoming acute and more companies are coming to market, which is fueling M&A activity, particularly in Japan.