Seoul: Nearly 8 out of 10 local governments outside of the capital region remain concerned over the likelihood of a decline in population in their areas due to comparatively weaker job opportunities and living conditions, a poll showed Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries on 100 local governments outside the greater Seoul metropolitan region revealed that 77 percent of respondents said they were faced with a high risk of population decline. Notably, the poll excluded the central city of Sejong and the southern resort island of Jeju.

The outlook emerged amid an ongoing population crisis in Asia's fourth-largest economy, with the total fertility rate reaching just 0.81 in October, significantly lower than the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

By province, 85.7 percent of local governments in Gangwon Province reported a high risk, followed by the Gyeongsang region provinces at 85.3 percent, Jeolla region provinces at 78.6 percent, and Chungcheong region provinces at 58.3 percent.

A lack of job opportunities was cited as the leading factor in the risk of population decline at 44.2 percent, followed by inadequate housing conditions at 21.4 percent and insufficient medical infrastructure at 17.5 percent.

To address the crisis, 37.5 percent of respondents emphasized the need to attract businesses, while 19.5 percent stressed the importance of supplying new housing and improving residential environments. Lee Sang-ho, head of the federation's economic and industrial division, noted in the report that the industrial and employment gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions is widening, further escalating the risk of regional extinction.