Driven by rising marriages and supportive government policies, the number of newborns in South Korea increased for the 11th consecutive month in May, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday.
The growth rate for births in May was the highest for the month in 14 years, while the number of marriages was the largest in six years.
A total of 106,048 babies were born during the first five months of this year, marking a 6.9 percent rise from the same period last year. In May, 20,309 babies were born, up 3.8 percent on-year, representing the largest May increase since 2011 and extending the trend of on-year growth for 11 consecutive months.
As a result, the total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years — edged up by 0.02 from a year earlier to 0.75 in May.
The agency attributed the uptick in births to a range of childbirth support measures introduced by both central and local governments. These include special housing benefits and preferential loans for families with children, as well as childbirth subsidies offered by regional authorities.
Notably, every province except Gangwon saw births increase during the January to May period.
This rise in births suggests a broader rebound in Korea’s birth rate. In 2023, only North Chungcheong Province recorded an increase in births. Last year, 14 out of 17 administrative regions saw growth.
An increase in marriages — a leading indicator of future childbirths — is also cited as a contributing factor. The rise is partly driven by the demographic shift, as the children of Korea’s baby boom generation are now entering their 30s.
In May 2024, the number of weddings surged 21.6 percent on-year to 20,921. The upward trend continued in May, with 21,761 weddings recorded, a 4 percent increase from a year earlier and the highest May figure since 2019.
This ongoing rise in marriages is fueling expectations of a continued rebound in childbirths.
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
