Childbirths in S. Korea rebound for 1st time in 9 years in 2024 on post-pandemic weddings

Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years in 2024, driven by a post-pandemic rise in marriages, evolving attitudes toward parenthood, and demographic changes, the statistics agency said on Wednesday.

A total of 238,300 babies were born last year, up 3.6 per cent from a record low of 230,000 in 2023, according to Statistics Korea. The figure had been declining since 2015, when it stood at 438,400, Yonhap news agency reported.

The total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, also rebounded for the first time in nine years, reaching 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 tallied a year earlier. The figure surpassed the government’s earlier forecast of 0.74 but still remains among the lowest in the world and about half the average of the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

It also remains far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, which is needed to maintain a stable population without immigration. The government aims to raise the rate to 1 by 2030.

“The rising trend in marriages that began after the Covid-19 pandemic has continued,” Park Hyun-jeong, an official from Statistics Korea, said at a press briefing. She noted that the number of marriages in 2024 was the highest since 1996.

The agency said more couples tied the knot starting from the second half of 2022 through the first half of 2023 after delaying their marriages during the earlier stages of the pandemic. The agency also attributed the increase in childbirths to more positive perceptions toward marriage and parenthood among the younger population in recent years, citing its biennial social survey.

Park also pointed to demographic shifts, noting that the population of people in their early 30s, a key childbearing age group, has increased. The number of births per 1,000 women came to 70.4 among those in their early 30s, followed by 46 for those in their late 30s and 20.7 for people in their late 20s, the agency said.

South Korea has long struggled with a declining birthrate, as many young people delay or forgo marriage and parenthood due to economic burdens and shifting societal norms. In response, the government has introduced various policies to support marriage and child-rearing, including financial benefits for newlyweds and expanded childcare assistance.

Despite the rebound, concerns remain over whether the trend will continue. The number of women of childbearing age and the population in their 30s are projected to decline starting from 2027, potentially limiting further increases in the birth rate.

“While the number of women of childbearing age is forecast to decrease, factors such as government policies and evolving social values can still influence fertility rates,” Park said.

–IANS