How many babies were born in Korea in August, and how did the figure compare with the previous year?

Korea recorded 23,703 births in August, up from 20,983 in August a year earlier. The August total was the highest for that month since 2019, when 24,371 babies were born.

How did Korea’s births and deaths compare in August, and what was the natural population change?

There were 23,703 births and 30,308 deaths in August. The deaths figure was 4.9 percent higher than a year earlier, and the difference resulted in a natural population decline of 6,605.

Births up 13% in August to highest in 7 years

Q: What factors were associated with Korea’s recent increase in births?

The rebound came amid a growing number of marriages, an increase in the population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children. The article also reports that August marriages themselves fell 1.2 percent from a year earlier to 19,218.

Listen

Summary

The number of babies born in Korea rose 13 percent in August from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, extending the increase to 26 consecutive months. August’s 23,703 births were the highest for that month since 2019, while the total fertility rate rose to 0.87. The rebound came amid more marriages, a larger population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children. Deaths outnumbered births by 6,605.

Key Facts

The August total was 23,703 births, compared with 20,983 a year earlier.
The total fertility rate increased by 0.09 from a year earlier, but remained below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.
From January through August, 193,783 babies were born, up 14.5 percent year on year and the highest total for that period since 2019.
August marriages fell 1.2 percent year on year to 19,218, while divorces rose 4.4 percent to 7,510.
Deaths increased 4.9 percent year on year to 30,308.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 28, 2026 12:33 pm KST

Nurses take care of newborn babies at a hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, May 28. Yonhap

The number of babies born in Korea shot up 13 percent in August from a year earlier, marking the 26th consecutive month of increase, government data showed Wednesday.

A total of 23,703 babies were born in August, up from 20,983 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the highest figure for any August since the 24,371 posted in 2019.

The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose 0.09 from a year earlier to 0.87 in August. The rate remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

The number of births has maintained an upward trajectory since July 2024.

Over the January-August period, 193,783 babies were born, up 14.5 percent from a year earlier. It was also the highest figure for the period since 2019.

The recent rebound came amid a growing number of marriages, an increase in the population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children.

The number of marriages in August fell 1.2 percent from a year earlier to 19,218. The number of divorces, on the other hand, rose 4.4 percent to 7,510.

The number of deaths, meanwhile, increased 4.9 percent from a year earlier to 30,308, resulting in a natural population decline of 6,605, the latest findings showed.

Explore More