Births up 15.6 pct in June, extend gains for 24th month

South Korea witnessed a surge in births, with the number of babies born rising by 15.6% in June compared to the previous year, as per government data released on Wednesday. A total of 23,111 infants were born that month, up 3,115 from 19,996 in June 2023. This marks the 24th consecutive month of year-on-year growth, with the highest rate since the government started tracking the data in 1981. The growth rate also reached the highest since records began in 1992.

The total fertility rate, representing the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, increased by 0.11 points to 0.88 in June. Despite still being below the 2.1 births per woman necessary to maintain a stable population without immigration, the fertility rate remains a cause for concern.

The upward trend in births started in July 2024, driven by a rise in marriages and a growing positive view of having children. The increase in births coincided with a recovery in marriages since May 2023, following the end of the pandemic. More women in their 30s contributed to the rise in births, as they tend to have higher birth rates.

By the January-June period, a total of 145,804 babies were born, a 15.4% increase from a year earlier, making it the highest since 2019. The number of marriages in June alone jumped 14% from a year earlier to 21,075, while the number of divorces rose 13.5% to 7,688. The data also showed a 2% increase in deaths, resulting in a natural population decline of 4,683.