S. Korea’s births rise 13% in August to highest level in seven years

A total of 23,703 babies were born in August, up from 20,983 during the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The figure was the highest for August since 2019, when 24,371 births were recorded.

South Korea’s total fertility rate, which measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, increased by 0.09 from a year earlier to 0.87 in August. Despite the improvement, the rate remains significantly below the 2.1 births per woman generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population without immigration.

The country’s birth numbers have continued to rise since July 2024.

From January to August, South Korea recorded 193,783 births, a 14.5% increase from the same period a year earlier. This was also the highest total for the eight-month period since 2019.

The recent rebound has been attributed to several factors, including an increase in marriages in previous periods, a growing population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children.

However, the latest data showed that marriages declined in August. A total of 19,218 marriages were registered, down 1.2% from a year earlier. Meanwhile, divorces increased by 4.4% to 7,510.

The number of deaths also rose, increasing 4.9% year on year to 30,308. As deaths continued to outnumber births, South Korea recorded a natural population decline of 6,605 people in August.

Earlier, Qazinform reported South Korea’s GDP grew 1% in the third quarter on strong exports and investment.