South Korea’s childbirths went up for the second month in a row in November to reach around 33,700. (Image : Yonhap)
SEJONG, Jan. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of childbirths in South Korea rose for the second straight month in November, a government report showed Tuesday, amid government efforts to deal with a rapidly aging population.
The number of babies born in November stood at about 33,700, up 4 percent, or 1,300, from the same month last year, according to the report released by Statistics Korea.
The figure marked the second consecutive monthly increase since October, when it snapped a two consecutive month losing streak.
The cumulative number of births during the January-November period also edged up 1.1 percent to 407,000 from a year earlier, the data showed.
South Korea has been pushing to raise its birthrate to avoid a decline in the overall working population, increased welfare expenses and damage to its growth potential.
The country’s total population is expected to peak in 2030 and start to decline, while its economically active population will start to drop in 2017, according to separate data.
The Statistics Korea report also showed that about 26,100 couples got married in November, up 10.6 percent, or 2,500, from a year earlier.
Divorces fell 2.2 percent on-year to 9,100 in November, while the number of deaths came to 22,700, up 0.9 percent from a year ago.’
(Yonhap)
