A study forecasts that South Koreans' average life span will reach nearly 90 years and per capita income 40-thousand dollars by the year 2040.

The Finance Ministry has released a report which was submitted by the Hybrid Culture Research Institute at Sungkyunkwan University. According to the report on Koreans' quality of life in 2040, the average life expectancy will reach 89.4 years by that time. The figure was 80 years in 2008.

Efforts to forecast the future lifespan, national income and population are not only for the sake of making the prediction itself but are also for preparing for the future. Korea in the past strongly encouraged birth control to suppress population growth but due to the lack of an accurate long-term forecast, the country is now faced with a seriously low birthrate.

The latest report is a forecast induced from objective data based on the current technological level and its capacity of advance in the future. It's believed to be the most accurate prediction on the Korean quality of life by the year 2040.

Some 30 years from now, the life span and per capita income will increase, the low birthrate will be improved and Koreans will have more leisure time.

Per capita income will more than double from 17-thousand dollars in 2009 to over 38-thousand in 2040. The birthrate will rise from 1.15 babies in 2009 to 1.42. Daily leisure time was 4.8 hours in 2008 which is expected to grow to 5.9 hours. The percentage of household spending in private education costs will drop from five percent in 2008 to 3.9 in 2040.

Time spent on the Internet will rise from a daily 80 minutes in 2008 to 112 minutes while daily mobile phone usage will go up from 15 minutes in 2009 to 31 minutes. Gadgets are expected to become a critical part of daily life.

However, not everything is positive. Youth unemployment will climb from seven percent in 2010 to 8.6 percent. The percentage of Koreans who believe marriage is necessary will drop from 56 percent in 2009 to 40 percent.

Home ownership will also drop from 63 percent in 2004 to 56 percent in 2040 which predicts a continued slide in real estate prices. In 2008, 40 percent of Koreans said they will provide for their elderly parents, which is forecast to plunge to 19 percent in 2040 as parents and children grow more estranged from each other over the next decades. The crime rate will slightly edge up from four percent in 2009 to four-and-a-half percent 30 years from now.

Science and technology will also alter lifestyles. Extensive changes are expected in our clothing culture with the debut of wearable computers, winter clothes that automatically adjust to outside temperature, and stealth combat wear that protects soldiers from enemy surveillance.

As for food, ingredients that suppress the aging process will be developed while capsules that replace a full meal will revolutionize the eating culture. Green technology will permeate throughout the housing sector through the use of fuel cells, solar batteries and other renewable energy sources.