August Records Largest Drop in Childbirths in Over 2 Years: Data

The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — came to a record low of 0.7 in the second quarter of 2023.(Image courtesy of Pixabay)

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of babies born in South Korea fell by the most in more than 2 1/2 years in August, data showed Wednesday.

A total of 18,984 babies were born in August, down 2,798, or 12.8 percent, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

It is the sharpest on-year fall since November 2020, when the country reported a 15.5 percent decline, or 3,673, in the number of newborns.

The latest reading also marked the lowest figure for any August since the agency began compiling related data in 1981. The number of babies born has never fallen below 20,000 before.

The number of newborns in the country has logged an on-year fall for 11 months in a row.

But the number of deaths rose 1.7 percent on-year to 30,540, and the country, accordingly, suffered a natural decline in population by 11,556 in August.

South Korea reported the first natural fall in the population in 2019, and the trend of deaths surpassing births has continued for 46 consecutive months, the data showed.

The country remains dogged by a chronic decline in childbirths as many young people delay or give up on getting married or having babies in line with changing social norms and lifestyles, as well as in the face of high home prices, a tough job market and an economic slowdown.

The number of marriages declined 7 percent on-year to 14,610 in August, and divorces slid 2.1 percent on-year to 8,057.

The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — came to a record low of 0.7 in the second quarter of 2023.

It was much lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that would keep South Korea’s population stable at 51 million, the agency said.

(Yonhap)