Annual Births Approaching 250,000... January–August Births Increase for the First Time in 10 Years

[Financial News] This year, the annual number of births is approaching 250,000, a figure not reached since 2021. The cumulative number of births from January to August is nearing 170,000. If the current trend continues for the remainder of the year, the total number of births is expected to surpass last year’s figure and exceed 250,000.
According to the 'August Population Trends' released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 29th, there were 20,867 births in August, a 3.8% increase compared to the same month last year. The number of births has risen for 14 consecutive months since July of last year. The total fertility rate in August—representing the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime—was 0.77, up 0.02 from a year earlier. By age group, the birth rate among women aged 35–39 reached 50.9 per 1,000, an increase of 4.9 compared to the previous year.
Notably, the cumulative number of births from January to August was 168,671, up 6.8% (10,708 births) from the same period last year. This marks the first time in 10 years, since 2015 (299,897 births), that the cumulative January–August figure has increased.
South Korea’s annual births fell below 300,000 in 2020, with 272,337 births. Since then, the numbers have been △ 260,562 in 2021 △ 249,186 in 2022 △ 230,028 in 2023 △ and 238,317 in 2024, dropping below 250,000 after 2021. However, with last year’s rebound, the figure is now approaching 250,000 again.
From September to December last year, the monthly number of births remained in the 20,000s, totaling 80,354. Adding this to the cumulative births from January to August this year brings the total close to 250,000.
Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chair of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, stated at the Korea Population Vision 2100 proclamation event hosted by the Korea Future Research Institute on the 28th, "If this trend continues, the number of births this year will exceed 250,000, and the total fertility rate will reach around 0.8, surpassing earlier projections."
Meanwhile, the number of marriages in August was 19,449, an increase of 1,922 (11.0%) compared to the same month last year. Marriages have been rising for 17 consecutive months since April last year. The cumulative number of marriages from January to August was 157,716, up 7.7% from the same period last year. The annual number of marriages was △ 193,657 in 2023 and △ 222,412 last year.

junjun@fnnews.com Choi Yong-jun Reporter