South Korea's births extend growth to 19 months

South Korea’s number of births increased for the 19th consecutive month, supported by a rise in marriages, according to data released Wednesday by the statistical ministry.

In January, 26,916 babies were born, marking an 11.7% increase compared to the same month last year, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.

Births have been climbing steadily since July 2024 and reached their highest January level since 2019, a seven-year peak.

The country’s total fertility rate—representing the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime—rose by 0.10 to 0.99. However, it remains well below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to sustain population stability.

Marriages grew significantly, rising 12.4% year-on-year to 22,640 in January. Divorces also saw a smaller increase, up 4.2% to 7,208.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths declined by 17.6% compared to a year earlier, totaling 32,454.

Despite the increase in births, the country continued to experience a natural population decline, with deaths exceeding births by 5,539 in January.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev