By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter

The number of babies born last year increased for the second consecutive year as many couples who tied the knot in 2006 gave birth, believing the year 2007 or, ``the golden pig year'' in the lunar calendar, would bring luck to newborns.

But Korea's birth rate continues to remain low compared to industrialized countries.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Tuesday, the number of babies born in 2007 totaled 497,000, up from 452,000 the previous year. In 2006, the number of newborns rose from 438,000 a year earlier, marking the first upturn since 2000 when the figure recorded 637,000 thanks to the ``millennium baby boom.''

The birth rate, or the average number of babies expected per woman aged 15-49, also increased to 1.26 last year from 1.13 in 2006. In 2005, the country recorded a rate of 1.08.

The crude birthrate, which indicates the number of children born per 1,000 people, stood at 10.1, up from 9.2 in 2006 and 9 in 2005.

The statistical office said more Koreans got married in 2006 on the belief that the year 2006 in the lunar calendar will bring luck to those who tie the knot.

``The year 2007 was ``the golden pig year,'' which is believed to bring luck to newborns, according to fortunetellers. It encouraged many couples married in 2006 to give births last year,'' the office said.

However, Korea still has a lower birthrate than the majority of member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the statistical office. In 2006, American women had an average of 2.1 infants, followed by 1.98 in France, 1.84 in Britain and 1.32 in Japan, compared to Korea's 1.13.

The mothers of newborns were 30.6 years old on average, up from 30.4 in 2006 and 30.2 in 2005. Women had their first child at the average age of 29.4 in 2007, with the second and third children born at 31.5 and 33.6, respectively.

Women in their early 30s contributed most to expanding the number of childbirths, outpacing those in their late 20s for the third year in a row.

The number of births by women aged 30 to 34 totaled 208,000 last year, up 18,000 from a year earlier. That of women aged 25 to 29 rose by 14,000 to 188,000 during the one-year period. Also, women aged 20-24 gave birth to 32,000 babies, up 1,000 from a year ago.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr