The number of babies born in South Korea has been on the rise for 16 straight months, with 21,958 babies born in October, marking a 2.5% increase from the previous year. This growth, however, is the slowest seen this year, according to government data.
Since July 2024, there has been a continuous increase in childbirths, reaching a total of 212,998 births by October, showing a 6.5% year-on-year rise, the highest growth rate since 1991. Despite this, the total number of babies born in the first 10 months of the year is the third lowest since 2023.
South Korea’s total fertility rate saw a slight increase of 0.02 from the previous year, reaching 0.81, with the highest birthrate observed among women aged 30 to 34. Additionally, the number of marriages in October increased by 0.2% compared to the previous year, with a total of 195,764 marriages reported in the first 10 months, the highest in seven years.
The trend suggests a potential third consecutive year of increasing annual marriage numbers, as per the Ministry’s expectations. In contrast, the number of divorces in October rose by 2.4% year-over-year, while the death toll for the same month decreased by 0.3% from the previous year.
Despite the rise in births, South Korea’s overall population declined by 7,781 in October, attributed to more deaths than births. This decline has been consistent since November 2019, as reported by the data.
