The number of newborns for June, the second quarter, and the first half of this year all reached their highest levels in seven years.
As the upward trend in the number of newborns continues, attention is focused on whether the annual total fertility rate will recover to the 0.9-person mark this year for the first time in seven years.
According to the June Population Trends released by the Statistics Korea (National Data Office) today (the 26th), the number of newborns in June stood at 23,111, an increase of 3,115 (15.6%) compared to the same month last year.
This marks an increase for the 24th consecutive month compared to the same month in previous years.
This is the largest scale for the month of June in seven years, following nine years of decline since 2015 and subsequent increases for two consecutive years.
The growth rate for June was the highest on record since statistics began in 1981, and the increase in volume was the largest since 1992 (3,666 babies).
The total fertility rate for June rose by 0.11 to 0.88.
Newborns in the second quarter of this year totaled 70,791, up 9,675 (15.8%) from a year earlier.
The growth rate was an all-time high.
The overall volume was the highest for a second quarter in seven years since 2019.
The upward streak in the number of newborns has continued for nine quarters starting from the second quarter of 2024.
The total fertility rate for the second quarter (the average number of children a woman is expected to give birth to in her lifetime) rose by 0.11 from a year earlier to 0.88.
This is the highest level since the second quarter of 2019.
The birth rate increased primarily among those in their 30s.
By age group, the birth rate for women aged 30 to 34 stood at 82.1, an increase of 11.0 from the same quarter a year ago.
For those aged 35 to 39, it increased by 10.7 to 60.2.
Based on the second quarter, those in their early 30s reached their highest level since 2019, while those in their late 30s hit their highest since 2015.
However, the figure for those aged 24 and under dropped by 0.2 to 1.9, falling below the 2-person mark for the first time since related statistics began in 2015.
Looking at the composition ratio of newborns by birth order in the second quarter, first-born children accounted for 63.0%, up 1.3 percentage points (p).
Second-born children dropped by 0.3 percentage points to 31.5%, and third-or-more-born children decreased by 1.0 percentage point to 5.5%.
Cumulative newborns in the first half of this year reached 145,804, an increase of 19,430 (15.4%).
This volume is the largest in seven years since 2019.
Both the increase scale and growth rate are the highest on record.
The number of marriages, a leading indicator of births, rose by 2,593 (14.0%) to 21,075 in June.
This recorded the highest figure for June since 2017.
The second quarter saw 62,065 marriages, an increase of 2,904 (4.9%).
This is the highest level for a second quarter since 2018.
The number of marriages has increased compared to the same period last year for 10 consecutive quarters starting from the first quarter of 2024.
The number of divorces in June rose by 916 (13.5%) from a year earlier to 7,688.
This turned upward again after two consecutive years of decline.
Divorces in the second quarter totaled 22,639, up 1,157 (5.4%) compared to a year ago.
The number of deaths in June increased by 550 (2.0%) to 27,794.
The number of deaths ranked highest on record for June.
The death toll for the second quarter reached 85,772, an increase of 1,254 (1.5%) from the same quarter last year.
This was driven by the ongoing aging of the population.
The crude death rate (per 1,000 population) for the second quarter stood at 6.8, an increase of 0.1 compared to the same period last year.
Natural growth, calculated by subtracting the number of deaths from newborns, showed a natural decrease of 4,683 for June.
For the second quarter, there was a natural decrease of 14,981.
This marks a natural decrease for the 27th consecutive quarter since the fourth quarter of 2019.
However, the Statistics Korea explained that the scale of natural decrease has shown signs of narrowing recently since the second quarter of 2022.
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