The number of babies born in South Korea surged in 2025, marking the fastest growth in 15 years. Government data revealed a total of 254,500 newborns, a 6.8% increase from the previous year. This rise brought the country’s total fertility rate to 0.8, the first time it reached this level in four years.
This increase in births in 2025 represents the most significant year-on-year growth since 2010 and the second consecutive year of expansion. The total fertility rate, which indicates the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose to 0.8, up by 0.05 from the previous year, surpassing the threshold after four years.
The Ministry of Data and Statistics attributed the rise in newborns to a surge in marriages and the growing population of women in their early 30s, a key childbearing age group, since 2021. According to a ministry official, Park Hyun-jeong, the increase in marriages over the past months was due to couples who postponed their weddings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Park Hyun-jeong also highlighted a shift in societal attitudes towards childbirth, noting an increase in the number of people intending to have children after marriage, as per the ministry’s 2024 survey. The data also indicated a rise in the willingness of individuals to have children outside of marriage. Looking ahead, Park projected the total fertility rate to remain above 0.8 this year, with a further increase to reach 1 by 2031.
The statistics further revealed that the number of deaths in 2025 increased by 1.3% to 363,400, resulting in a natural population decline of 110,000.
