This photo shows newborns at a hospital. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s twin and multiple-birth rates have surged to among the highest in the world, prompting experts to warn that the trend carries heightened medical risks for mothers and infants and requires a shift in government policy.
According to a new report released Thursday by Bae Hye-won, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, twins accounted for 5.7 percent of all births in 2024, up from 3.7 percent in 2015. Births of triplets or higher-order multiples also rose, from 2.4 percent to 3.4 percent over the same period.
Measured per 1,000 deliveries, South Korea recorded 28.8 twin births last year — the second-highest level among countries tracked by the Human Multiple Births Database, trailing only Greece and nearly double the international average of 15.5. The rate of triplets and higher multiples was the highest among all countries surveyed.
What makes the trend more striking is that it is occurring despite South Korea’s record-low total fertility rate — the world’s lowest — and in contrast to declining multiple-birth rates in many advanced economies.
On November 26, nurses care for newborns in the neonatal unit at Ilsan CHA Hospital of CHA University in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap)
The report attributes the rise to a combination of advanced maternal age, expanded use of assisted reproductive technologies and what Bae describes as a uniquely Korean “convenience mindset”: a desire among some parents to have two children at once to reduce the pressures of repeated pregnancies. The average age of mothers giving birth to twins reached 35.3 last year, compared with 33.6 for single-child births.
The number of patients undergoing infertility treatments has grown sharply as well, increasing 33 percent in the past seven years.
Government programs — including subsidies for fertility treatments, support for high-risk pregnancies and assistance for premature infants — have expanded alongside the trend. Local governments also offer cash bonuses and postpartum care support for parents of multiples.
But the report argues that South Korea’s policy framework remains overly focused on post-birth responses, rather than preventing risky multiple pregnancies in the first place. Many countries since the early 2000s have moved to limit higher-order multiple births through stricter embryo-transfer guidelines and preventive approaches to reproductive medicine.
“Twin pregnancies inherently carry elevated risks for both mothers and babies,” Bae wrote. “Yet Korea’s policies still prioritize postnatal medical and financial support, with insufficient efforts to safeguard health before pregnancy or reduce multiple-pregnancy rates.”
The report also counters concerns that lowering twin birth rates could further depress the country’s already fragile fertility levels. Citing the United Kingdom, it notes that countries can reduce multiple births while keeping overall birthrates stable.
Bae called for stronger pre-pregnancy health protections, more systematic efforts to prevent high-risk multiple pregnancies, and improved quality and effectiveness of postnatal support where needed.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
