How many babies were born in Korea in May, and how much did births rise year on year?

Korea recorded 23,160 births in May, up 13.6 percent from 20,379 a year earlier. The figures came from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

What happened to Korea’s total fertility rate in May?

The total fertility rate rose by 0.1 from a year earlier to 0.85 in May. It remained well below the 2.1 level needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

Why did Korea still see a natural population decline in May despite more births?

Deaths rose 3.8 percent from a year earlier to 29,573, while marriages fell 6.4 percent and divorces declined 3.9 percent. The higher death toll offset the birth increase and left a natural decline of 6,413.

Childbirths rise 13.6% in May

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Summary

The number of babies born in Korea rose 13.6 percent in May from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, as the country continued a modest rebound in births. A total of 23,160 babies were born, and the January-May total reached 122,694, up 15.2 percent from the same period in 2025. The total fertility rate climbed to 0.85 in May, while marriages and divorces both fell. Deaths increased 3.8 percent, leaving a natural population decline of 6,413.

Key Facts

A total of 23,160 babies were born in May, up from 20,379 a year earlier.
Births in the January-May period reached 122,694, a 15.2 percent increase from the same period in 2025.
The total fertility rate rose by 0.1 from a year earlier to 0.85 in May.
Marriages fell 6.4 percent year on year to 20,368 in May, while divorces declined 3.9 percent to 7,122.
Deaths increased 3.8 percent to 29,573 in May, producing a natural population decline of 6,413.

By Yonhap

Published Jul 29, 2026 12:58 pm KST

Nurses care for newborns at a hospital nursery in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, July 24. Yonhap

The number of babies born in Korea rose 13.6 percent in May from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, in another positive sign amid the country's demographic challenge.

A total of 23,160 babies were born in May, up from 20,379 a year earlier, according to findings released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Over the January-May period, the total number of births came to 122,694, up 15.2 percent from the same period in 2025.

Korea's birth rate has begun rebounding since 2024, partly driven by a rise of post-pandemic marriages and government efforts to encourage couples to have babies.

The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose by 0.1 from a year earlier to 0.85 in May.

The rate still remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

The number of marriages in May, meanwhile, fell 6.4 percent from a year earlier to 20,368.

Divorce numbers also declined 3.9 percent from a year earlier to 7,122.

The latest data showed the number of deaths rose 3.8 percent from a year earlier to 29,573 in May, resulting in a natural population decline of 6,413.

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