By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter
The number of newborns has continued to fall for the past two years, with more young men and women delaying marriage.
Rising costs associated with childcare are also said to have discouraged many women here from having babies, making Korea the most rapidly aging nation in the world.
Statistics Korea said Tuesday that the number of babies born in September totaled 38,200 nationwide, down 4.7 percent from a year earlier, falling for the 19th consecutive month since February 2008 when it fell 4.6 percent.
In the first nine months of this year, 338,700 babies were born, down 4.6 percent from the same period last year.
Korea's birthrate was the lowest among OECD countries in 2008, with its average life expectancy climbing. The birthrate, or the average number of babies expected per woman aged 15 to 49, decreased to 1.19 in 2008 from 1.25 in 2007. In 2005, the country recorded its lowest rate of 1.08.
Meanwhile, the number of couples filing for divorce surged 58.2 percent to 10,060 in September compared to the same period last year, rising for the third consecutive month. It was mainly due to the base effect that divorces dropped sharply in 2008, it said.
A mandatory system was introduced last year, requiring couples to take a one to three monthly cooling off period to reduce the number of divorces.
Koreans tying the knot totaled 20,900 in September, up 4 percent from the same month in 2008, rising for the first time since September 2008 when the nation began feeling the effects of the global credit crunch.
The statistical office attributed the increase to a base effect as marriages fell sharply in September last year because of the Chuseok holiday.
"The number of marriages will likely head downward again as the current economic downturn continues to make it more difficult for those in their late 20s and early 30s to find jobs and save money for marriage," a Statistics Korea official said.
The number of deaths rose by 200 to 18,900 in September from the previous year, while the number of people who relocated across districts stood at 709,000, down 1.2 percent from a year ago.
Population mobility has slowed over the past year amid the protracted economic slump. Gyeonggi Province saw 9,000 more people move into the area than out, recording the biggest net inflow. Seoul lost 9,600 people, with the majority heading to neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr
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