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The number of babies born in Korea fell to a record low in April amid the chronically low birthrate, while that of deaths hit an all-time high due to rapid aging and the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.
A total of 21,124 babies were born in April, down 7 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea.
It marked the lowest for any April since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling related data.
Korea is struggling with a chronic decline in childbirths as many young people delay or give up on getting married or having children amid an economic slowdown and high housing prices, coupled with changing social norms about marriage.
The country's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman could bear in her lifetime ― hit an all-time low of 0.81 last year, down from 0.84 a year ago. It marked the fourth straight year the rate was below 1 percent.
The number of deaths soared to a record high in April, affected by rapid aging and the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said.
It came to 36,697, up 46.3 percent from a year ago as it rose for the 14th straight month; and was the highest for any April since 1983, when the agency started compiling related data. The rate was also the fastest year-on-year rise.
Korea suffered the worst wave of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in March, with daily virus cases jumping to over 620,000 in the middle of the month. COVID-19 deaths hit an all-time high of 469, March 24.
As the number of deaths outpaced that of births, the country's population declined by 15,573 in April, falling for the 30th straight month.
Korea reported the first natural fall in population in 2020, and the grim demographic trend has continued.
The country's total population declined for the first time last year, due to the low birthrate, rapid aging and a fall in incoming foreigners over the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the number of people getting married inched down 0.4 percent year-on-year to 15,795, as more people postponed or delayed weddings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said.
Divorces slid 20.4 percent year-on-year to 7,198. (Yonhap)
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