Births in S. Korea surge at record pace in February
A total of 22,898 babies were born in February in South Korea, up 13.6 percent from a year earlier, government data showed on Wednesday, Qazinform News Agency cites Yonhap.
The figure was the highest for any February since 2019, while the number of newborns has continued an upward trend seen since July 2024.
The rise was mainly driven by women in their 30s, while births among women in their 20s grew only slightly. The country’s fertility rate also edged up to 0.93.
Meanwhile, marriages fell 4.2 percent after months of growth, partly due to fewer working days during the extended Lunar New Year holiday. Divorces dropped 15.6 percent, and deaths decreased by 3.5 percent. Despite this, the population still declined overall, with deaths exceeding births by 6,275.
Previously, it was reported the number of babies born rose at the fastest pace in seven years in January, driven largely by an increase in marriages.
