Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea surged at the fastest rate in 14 years in November, reflecting an uptick in marriages and evolving views on family life, as reported by the statistics agency.
According to Bahrain News Agency, a total of 20,095 babies were born in November 2024, marking a 14.6 percent increase compared to the 17,530 newborns in the same month the previous year. This represents the largest annual increase since November 2010, when childbirths grew by 17.5 percent. The data, compiled by Statistics Korea, also revealed an 11.3 percent rise in marriages, with 18,581 couples tying the knot in November.
For the period from January to November, 199,903 couples were reported to have married, indicating a 13.5 percent increase compared to the previous year. South Korea has been battling a declining birth rate, with many young individuals choosing to delay or avoid marriage and parenthood. In response, the government has introduced policies to promote marriage and support families, such as benefits for newlyweds and increased childcare assistance.
"After the pandemic, we have seen an increase in marriages and the birth of first and second children," stated Im Young-il, an official from the agency. "There have also been gradual shifts in the perception of marriage and childbirth due to factors such as government policies." Despite the rise in births, the number of deaths decreased by 3.8 percent to 29,219 in November.
Consequently, South Korea experienced a natural population decrease of 9,124 in the month, as the number of deaths has continually surpassed the number of newborns since the fourth quarter of 2019.