Eight out of ten cities, counties and districts across the nation have seen a natural decrease in population in 2021 as deaths outpaced births.

According to Statistics Korea on Sunday, out of 226 local municipalities and 228 areas nationwide, 182 or 79-point-eight percent witnessed a natural decrease in population in 2021 with deaths surpassing births.

The areas that suffered a natural decline in population doubled from 2011, when the ratio posted 38-point-four percent with 88 areas.

By region, of the 25 districts in Seoul, 16 districts, or 64 percent, saw a natural decrease in population in 2021, a sharp contrast from zero in 2011.

All of the country's major cities and provinces witnessed a sharp rise in the percentage over the course of a decade.

The country's population has naturally decreased for three straight years since the number of deaths surpassed the number of births for the first time in 2020 amid low birthrates. The pace of decrease also quickened, from 33-thousand in 2020 to 57-thousand in 2021 and an estimated 124-thousand in 2022.