Seoul
South Korea’s birth rate showed positive growth for the second consecutive quarter, with the number of newborns rising by 8.0% to 61,288 in the July-September period, Statistics Korea said on Wednesday. This follows a smaller 1.2% increase in the previous quarter.
The rise in births was supported by a significant increase in marriages, which surged 24.0% to 51,706 during the third quarter. This follows a 17.1% rise in the second quarter. Despite this positive trend, experts note that the overall number of births remains low, as many young couples delay or abandon plans for children due to financial pressures such as high housing costs and persistent unemployment.
In addition, the number of divorces saw a slight increase of 0.1% to 23,086, while deaths rose by 3.3% to 89,846. As a result of these factors, South Korea’s population continued to decline since November 2019, raising concerns about the long-term impact of a shrinking population, often referred to as the “demographic cliff,” which could lead to a drop in consumer demand.