This photo shows the neonatal ward of a hospital in Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of babies born in South Korea rose for the first time in nine years last year, government data showed Friday, in a rare turnaround for the nation grappling with one of the world’s lowest fertility rates.
A total of 242,334 babies were born last year, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier, according to resident registration data from the interior ministry.
It marked the first annual rise in South Korea after eight consecutive years of decline.
The total number of registered population stood at 51,217,221 last year, shrinking for five years straight since 2020.
(Yonhap)
