지역 별 인구 증가․감소에 영향을 주는 특징 분석

Abstract

Over the past few years, South Korea has been consistently raising concerns about the decline in regional populations due to issues such as low birth rates, aging, and population migration toward the metropolitan area. However, the decline in regional populations is spreading not only to rural areas and small towns but also to major cities. To address this issue, a lot of studies and policies have been proposed. Nevertheless, not all regions are achieving effective results from the policies. To overcome these limitations, in regions facing the risk of population decline, it necessary to identify the factors that have led to population growth in populous areas and apply them accordingly. However, there is limited research on this matter. In this paper, we investigate the top and bottom 5 locations in terms of population and population growth rate, analyzing the factors influencing population changes in these respective areas. In addition, through cluster analysis, similar regions are grouped to analyze the level of local extinction risk in these areas. Furthermore, the study identifies common characteristics within each cluster and recognizes risk factors that may influence the region. From the results, areas with high or increasing populations were found to be places where diverse employment opportunities and urban development had taken place. On the other hand, areas with low populations were characterized by inconvenient geographical locations and transportation. Areas experiencing a sharp decline in population were associated with the decline of key industries leading to a reduction in employment opportunities. In the cluster analysis, we categorized the data into five clusters. The analysis revealed the characteristics of each cluster and examined the factors contributing to population decline in each cluster. Through this, we were able to understand recent population trends and regional demographic changes. Furthermore, detailed information was provided on applying population growth variables tailored to the characteristics of areas at risk of population decline.