Korea's childbirths rise for 8th month straight in February
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The number of babies born in Korea increased for the eighth consecutive month in February, data showed Wednesday, in a positive sign for a country struggling with a demographic crisis.
A total of 20,035 babies were born in February, up 3.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
The figure has been on an upward trend since July 2024, while it marked the first time since 2014 that births in February have increased from the previous year.
The report also showed that the number of couples getting married jumped 14.3 percent on-year to 19,370 in February.
This is the highest number of marriages in February since 2017, and marks the 11th straight month of growth in marriage registrations.
"Thanks to the rise in marriages and other factors, the increase in births continues," Kang Hyun-young, an official from the agency, said. She added that the number of newborns is expected to maintain its upward trend in the coming months.
South Korea has been grappling with a persistent decline in its birthrate, as an increasing number of young people choose to delay or avoid marriage and parenthood. To encourage marriage and improve the fertility rate, the government has introduced various marriage benefits and child care support programs.
In a positive sign, the number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years in 2024, driven by a post-pandemic rise in marriages, evolving attitudes toward parenthood and demographic changes.
The number of deaths, meanwhile, gained 1.3 percent on-year to 30,283 in February.
Accordingly, South Korea reported a natural population decrease of 10,248 in the month.
The number of deaths has continued to exceed the number of newborns since the fourth quarter of 2019.
The number of couples getting divorced inched down 0.1 percent year-on-year to 7,347, according to the data.