South Korea’s births rise 11.1% in July, marking 25th straight month of growth

A total of 24,275 babies were born in July, up from 21,854 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The figure was the highest for any July since 2019, when 25,222 births were recorded.

The country's total fertility rate also increased in July, rising by 0.08 from a year earlier to 0.89. The fertility rate measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime.

Despite the increase, the rate remains significantly below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, which is generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population without relying on immigration.

The latest figures extend an upward trend in births that began in July 2024. During the first seven months of this year, 170,079 babies were born, representing a 14.7 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. It was also the highest January-July total since 2019.

Officials and analysts have linked the recent recovery in births to several demographic and social factors, including an increase in marriages, a growing population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children.

The number of marriages in July increased 9.3 percent year on year to 22,282. Meanwhile, divorces declined 0.8 percent to 7,764.

Despite the rise in births, South Korea continued to record more deaths than births. The number of deaths increased 3 percent from a year earlier to 28,921 in July.

As a result, the country recorded a natural population decline of 4,647 people during the month.

Earlier, Qazinform reported South Korea’s exports surged 78% on strong semiconductor shipments.