April Births Surge 18%, Hitting Record High; Growth Continues for 22 Consecutive Months

The number of babies born in the first four months of this year has reached nearly 100,000, marking the highest figure in seven years.

The growth rate of births hit an all-time high for both the month of April and the cumulative period from January to April.

According to the "April Population Trends" report released by the Korea Data Agency today (June 24), the number of births in April this year was 24,521, an increase of 3,734, or 18.0%, compared to the same month last year.

The scale of births for the month of April is the highest since 2019, when 26,104 babies were born.

The growth rate for April was the highest since statistics began to be compiled in 1981.

The number of births has been increasing for 22 consecutive months since July 2024.

From January to April of this year, a total of 99,534 babies were born.

This cumulative figure for the first four months of the year is also the highest in seven years, following the 109,134 births recorded in 2019.

The growth rate compared to the same period last year also hit a record high of 15.5%.

The total fertility rate—the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime—was 0.93 in April, an increase of 0.13 from the same month last year.

The recent steady upward trend in births is attributed to the increase in marriages over the past two years, a rise in the population of women in their 30s, and positive changes in perceptions regarding childbirth.

As of April this year, the composition of births by birth order was 62.2% for first-born children and 32.2% for second-born children.

Compared to the same month last year, the proportions of first and second-born children each increased by 0.3 percentage points.

The proportion of third-born children or more was 5.6%, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points.

Marriages, considered a leading indicator for birth growth, also continued their upward trend.

The number of marriages in April was 20,622, an increase of 1,703, or 9.0%, from a year ago, surpassing the 20,000 mark.

Following a significant 24.6% increase in April 2024 and a 4.9% increase last year, the growth trend has continued into this year.

The number of marriages in April was the highest for that month since 2016, when 22,844 marriages were recorded.

The number of divorces was 7,829, an increase of 531, or 7.3%, compared to the same month last year.

The number of deaths in April was 28,405, a decrease of 386, or 1.3%, from the same month last year.

As the number of deaths exceeded the number of births, the population saw a natural decline of 3,884.

However, with the number of births increasing and deaths decreasing, the scale of natural decline has narrowed compared to last year.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.