S. Korea reports 16th straight month of rising births in October

A total of 21,958 babies were born in October, representing a 2.5 percent increase compared with the same month last year, data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed. While the figure marked continued growth since July 2024, it was the slowest year-on-year increase recorded in 2025.

From January through October, cumulative births reached 212,998, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier. This was the fastest growth rate for the period since 1991. However, despite the increase, the total number of births during the 10-month span remained the third lowest on record, following 2024 and 2023.

The country’s total fertility rate - defined as the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime - rose by 0.02 from a year earlier to 0.81. Women aged 30 to 34 recorded the highest birthrate among all age groups.

Marriages also edged up in October, with 19,586 registered, a 0.2 percent increase from the previous year. During the first 10 months of the year, a total of 195,764 marriages were reported, the highest level in seven years. If the trend continues, officials expect annual marriage figures to rise for a third consecutive year.

Divorces increased as well, climbing 2.4 percent year-on-year to 7,478 cases in October.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths in October stood at 29,739, down 0.3 percent from a year earlier. Despite the rise in births, South Korea’s overall population declined by 7,781 during the month, as deaths continued to outnumber births.

According to the data, the country’s population has been shrinking steadily since November 2019.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported Seoul is to accept 109,100 foreign seasonal workers in 2026.