Childbirths in S. Korea rise for 2nd month for first time in about 9 years
SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- The number of babies born in South Korea rose for the second month in a row in May for the first time in about nine years, data showed Wednesday, as the country is struggling to boost its ultra-low birth rate.
A total of 19,547 babies were born in May 2024, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It was the second consecutive monthly gain as the figure rose for the first time in 19 months in April by increasing 2.8 percent on-year.
It marked the first time since October 2015 that the country reported two months of gains in the number of newborns.
"The number of newly married couples rose over the past couple of years after the COVID-19 pandemic, though it is too early to say that such an uptrend would continue," an agency official said.
The rebound was also partly attributable to a base effect, as the number of newborns fell 12.5 percent on-year to come to 18,528 in May 2023, the lowest level for any May.
During the first five months of 2024, however, the number of newborns lost 2.9 percent from a year earlier.
The number of deaths shed 1.2 percent on-year to 28,546 in May 2024, and the population, accordingly, declined by 8,999.
The number of deaths has outpaced that of newborns since November 2019.
The number of couples getting married surged 21.6 percent on-year to 20,923 in May, and the number of couples getting divorced fell 5.6 percent on-year to 7,923, the data showed.
"We've seen a growing number of people in their early 30s getting married thanks in part to various measures regarding tax, housing and other fields designed to support young couples," the official added.
South Korea is experiencing grim demographic changes, as many young people opt to postpone or give up on getting married or having babies in line with changing social norms and lifestyles.
The total fertility rate, which means the average number of expected births from a woman in her lifetime, hit a record yearly low of 0.72 in 2023, which came far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.
Many have also pointed to high home prices and a tough job market as major reasons.
In the first quarter of 2024, the fertility rate came to 0.76, falling 0.06 on-year.
South Korea is expected to be a highly aged country by 2072 as the median age will increase from 44.9 in 2022 to 63.4 in 2072, and the population will tumble to around 36.22 million in 2072 from last year's 51 million.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
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