S. Korea sees fastest on-year growth in births in 34 yrs in April
The number of babies born in South Korea rose at the fastest pace in 34 years in April from a year earlier, data showed Wednesday, driven by a rise in marriages and demographic changes, Yonhap reports.
A total of 20,717 babies were born in April, up 8.7 percent from 19,059 babies born a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It marked the steepest on-year increase in monthly births since April 1991, when the figure also rose by 8.7 percent.
It was also the first time in three years that the number of monthly births surpassed the 20,000 mark after hitting 21,164 in April 2022.
The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, also rose by 0.06 from a year earlier to 0.79 in April.
"The rise in births appears to be influenced by increased marriages since last year, growth in the population of women in their early 30s, and various birth promotion policies by the central and local governments," an official at Statistics Korea said.
In South Korea, where childbirth outside of marriage remains rare, an increase in marriages tends to precede a rise in births.
The number of marriages in April climbed 4.9 percent on-year to 18,921, marking the 13th consecutive month of growth.
South Korea has long grappled with chronically low birth rates as many young people delay or forgo marriage and parenthood due to economic pressures and changing social values. In response, the government has introduced a series of incentives, including marriage grants and child care subsidies, to encourage childbirth.
Notably, 2024 marked the first time in nine years that the annual number of births increased from a year earlier, buoyed by a post-pandemic recovery in marriages, demographic shifts and evolving societal attitudes toward family life.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths in April inched up 0.8 percent on-year to 28,785, resulting in a natural population decline of 8,067 for the month.
South Korea has seen more deaths than births since the fourth quarter of 2019.
The number of divorces in April fell 5.2 percent on-year to 7,299, the data also showed.
As written before, the number of babies born in South Korea increased for the ninth consecutive month in March, in a positive sign for a country struggling with a demographic crisis.
