A recent report shows that the number of daycare centers in South Korea has decreased by nearly ten-thousand over the past five years as the country continues to suffer from chronically low birth rates.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Sunday, the number of daycare centers nationwide stood at 30-thousand-923 as of 2022, a decrease of nine-thousand-315 centers from 2017.

The decline of more than 23 percent over the past five years disproportionately affected daycare centers in residential areas that usually care for babies between the ages of zero and one, with the problem expected to gradually expand to facilities for all age groups.

As of the end of last year, public centers accounted for 27 percent of all daycare centers, while private daycare centers accounted for 73 percent.