The number of school pupils in Seoul are declining at a faster pace, a direct result of the country’s persistently low birth rates, data shows.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, as of April 1 this year, the city’s kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools have 4.2 percent fewer students than a year earlier. The student tally stands at slightly over 1.07 million.

That represents a steeper year-on-year drop than the 3.6 percent decline in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2014.

Broken down, kindergartens saw a 0.2 percent drop in enrollment, while elementary schools registered a 3.2 percent decrease. Middle schools suffered the most drastic decrease in the number of students at 8.9 percent, while high school students fell 2.8 percent.

Class sizes are also getting smaller.

Kindergarten classes have an average 21.1 students, while the figures for elementary, middle and high schools stand at 23.4, 26.6 and 29.7, respectively. From a year ago, the numbers represent declines of 0.4 to 1.9.

South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, with 1.24 births per woman in 2015.