Seoul, Jan 3 (IANS) The number of babies born in South Korea rose for the first time in nine years last year, government data showed on Friday, in a rare turnaround for the nation grappling with one of the world’s lowest fertility rates.
A total of 242,334 babies were born last year, up 3.1 per cent from a year earlier, according to resident registration data from the interior ministry, Yonhap news agency reported.
It marked the first annual rise in South Korea after eight consecutive years of decline.
The total number of registered populations stood at 51,217,221 last year, shrinking for five years straight since 2020.
The number of babies born in South Korea increased by the fastest rate in 14 years in October.
According to the data compiled by Statistics Korea, a total of 21,398 babies were born in October, up 13.4 per cent from the 18,878 newborns a year earlier, Yonhap reported.
It marked the largest on-year increase since November 2010, when the number of childbirths grew by 17.5 per cent.
South Korea has been grappling with a persistent decline in its birth rate, as an increasing number of young people are choosing to delay or avoid marriage and parenthood.
To encourage marriage and improve the fertility rate, the government has rolled out various marriage benefits and support for child care.
The number of deaths, meanwhile, shed 3.2 per cent on-year to 29,819 in October. Accordingly, South Korea reported a natural population decrease of 8,421 in the month.
Meanwhile, South Korea has formally become a “super-aged” society.
As per the government data, the number of South Koreans aged 65 or older stood at 10.24 million, accounting for 20 per cent of the country’s total population of 51.22 million, Yonhap reported.
The United Nations classifies countries where more than 7 per cent of the population is 65 or older as an aging society, those with over 14 per cent as an aged society, and those with more than 20 per cent as a super-aged society.
–IANS
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