SEJONG – South Korea experienced its largest increase in childbirths in nearly 14 years this September, amid ongoing concerns over its declining birth rate and aging population.
According to data released by Statistics Korea, a total of 20,590 babies were born in September, marking a 10.1 percent increase, or 1,884 additional births, compared to the previous year.
This surge represents the highest year-on-year growth since January 2011, when births rose by 10.8 percent.
Im Young-il, an agency representative, said the uptick is mainly due to more couples having weddings from the latter half of 2022 to the first half of 2023, as many had postponed their nuptials during the earlier stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the third quarter of 2024, South Korea recorded 61,288 births, an 8 percent rise from the same quarter last year, making it the most substantial quarterly increase since third quarter of 2012.
Meanwhile, the total fertility rate —the average number of anticipated births per woman over her lifetime— stood at 0.76 for third quarter, with the January to September rate at 0.74.
This nine-month figure exceeds the record low of 0.72 for all of 2023, the lowest since 1970.
“If this trend continues into the fourth quarter, there is a strong possibility that the total fertility rate for 2024 could remain above 0.72 and maybe reach around 0.74. However, it’s premature to label this a rebound, given how low the figures are compared to other nations,” Im said.
The rate remains significantly below the 2.1 births per woman needed for a stable population without immigration.
The country has faced a persistent decline in birth rates, attributed to a growing number of young individuals choosing to postpone or forgo marriage and parenthood.
In response, the government has introduced various incentives for marriage and childcare support.
On the other hand, the number of deaths in South Korea rose by 3.8 percent year-on-year to 29,362 in September, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,772 for the month.
The number of deaths has consistently surpassed births since fourth quarter of 2019.
Additionally, the report indicated a notable 18.8 percent increase in marriages, with 15,368 couples tying the knot in September, representing the highest annual growth rate on record.
Conversely, the divorce rate saw a slight rise of 0.4 percent, totaling 7,531 cases. (Yonhap)