Incheon tops birthrates among major municipalities

A nurse takes care of babies at the neonatal unit of Ain Hospital, Incheon, Feb. 26. Newsis

The western port city of Incheon became the city with the largest population growth and the highest birthrates in the country last year, the city government announced Sunday.

The number of births in Incheon last year was 15,242, which saw an 11.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, significantly higher than the national average of 3.6 percent. This ranked it first among the country's 17 cities and provinces.

The increase in the registered population was also the highest.

Last month, Incheon's registered population stood at 3,027,854, an increase of 4,205 from the previous month, ranking first among all 17 cities and provinces. After Incheon, the cities with population growth were Seoul (4,170), Daejeon (835) and Sejong (759), while the remaining 13 cities and provinces saw a decline.

Incheon is also the only city among Seoul and the six major metropolitan cities to have recorded population growth over the past year.

Notably, compared to last February, all major cities — Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan — recorded population decline, while only Incheon saw its population jump by 24,704, reaching 3,027,854.

In the net migration rate, one of the measures of population inflow, Incheon has recorded positive growth every year since 2021, remaining number one in the country.

The city government attributed the demographic improvement to its policies aimed at tackling plummeting birthrates. The city government has implemented a special childbirth fund policy, which provides a total of 100 million won ($69,100) for a newborn in the city by the age of 18.

The city is also conducting a 1,000-won housing project that rents homes to newlyweds for up to six years at just 30,000 won per month, which works out to around 1,000 won per day.

“The city will continue to do its utmost to drive the sustainable future of the country by becoming the center of solving the national population problem,” Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said.