South Korea Sees Growth in Birth Rate

RunWithRugs · 2026-03-28T03:56:46+00:00

South Korea's birth rate grew for the 19th consecutive month, with newborn registrations rising 11.7% in January. Marriages also increased by 12.4%, but the country still faces a demographic crisis with deaths outnumbering births, leading to a natural population decline.

RunWithRugs

2026-03-28 03:56:46

Abstract generation in progress

(MENAFN) South Korea’s birth rate extended a remarkable winning streak in January, marking the 19th consecutive month of year-on-year growth on the back of rising marriages, according to figures released Wednesday by the country’s Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Newborn registrations surged 11.7 percent compared to the same month last year, reaching 26,916 — the strongest January figure recorded since 2019 and a milestone that continues an unbroken upward run stretching back to July 2024.

The total fertility rate edged up by 0.10 to reach 0.99, yet the figure remains well short of the 2.1 births per woman threshold demographers consider necessary to sustain a stable population without decline.

Matrimonial trends offered additional cause for optimism, with marriages climbing 12.4 percent year-on-year to 22,640 in January. Divorces also rose, ticking up 4.2 percent to 7,208 over the same period.

On the mortality front, recorded deaths fell sharply by 17.6 percent to 32,454 in January relative to the prior year — a notable single-month drop.

Despite the encouraging birth and death figures, South Korea has not yet closed the demographic gap. With fatalities still outpacing new arrivals, the country registered a natural population decline of 5,539 for the month — a stark reminder that, while momentum is building, the nation’s deeper demographic crisis remains far from resolved.

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