Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea increased for the seventh consecutive month in January, signaling a potential shift in the country's ongoing demographic challenges. A total of 23,947 babies were born in January, marking an 11.6 percent increase from the 21,461 newborns recorded a year earlier.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the data compiled by Statistics Korea highlights a consistent upward trend in childbirths since July 2024, with January's figures representing the steepest on-year increase for any January to date. Kang Hyun-young, an official from the agency, noted that the rise is partly due to an increase in the population of people in their early 30s, a key childbearing age group. The rise in childbirths is also attributed to shifting perceptions of marriage and parenthood among younger people, as well as a base effect from the previous year's low figure.
South Korea has faced a persistent decline in its birth rate as more young individuals opt to delay or forego marriage and parenthood. In response, the government has implemented various marriage benefits and child care support programs to improve the fertility rate. The number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years in 2024, spurred by a post-pandemic rise in marriages, changing attitudes toward parenthood, and demographic shifts.
However, the country also saw a 21.9 percent on-year increase in deaths, totaling 39,473 in January. As a result, South Korea experienced a natural population decrease of 15,526 during the month. Since the fourth quarter of 2019, the number of deaths has consistently exceeded the number of newborns.
The report further revealed a slight 0.7 percent on-year increase in the number of couples getting married, totaling 20,153 in January. Meanwhile, the number of couples getting divorced decreased by 12.8 percent, amounting to 6,922 during the same period.