Korea experiences highest April birthrate increase in 34 years on back of post-Covid marriage surge
Published: 25 Jun. 2025, 16:15
Updated: 25 Jun. 2025, 18:50
![A newborn cries in the neonatal unit at Korea University Guro Hospital in Guro District, western Seoul, on May 28. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/06/25/0ee34e6f-442c-4e3b-842a-a266c03f7bfb.jpg)
A newborn cries in the neonatal unit at Korea University Guro Hospital in Guro District, western Seoul, on May 28. [NEWS1]
The number of babies born in Korea in April saw the highest year-on-year increase for that month in 34 years, driven by a rebound in marriages and government efforts to support childbirth.
A total of 20,717 babies were born in April, up 8.7 percent, or 1,658 births, from the same month last year, according to Statistics Korea on Wednesday.
It marks the first time since 2022 that the number of April births exceeded 20,000 and the first increase in April births in a decade. The 8.7 percent growth rate is the highest for April since 1991.
Births have increased for 10 consecutive months since July 2024.
From January to April, a total of 85,739 babies were born, up 7.7 percent from 79,627 during the same period last year.
Korea’s total fertility rate in April also rose to 0.79, up from 0.73 in April 2024.
All but one of Korea’s 17 major cities and regions — Jeju — recorded increased births in April, with Incheon at 17.5 percent, South Gyeongsang at 15.3 percent, North Chungcheong at 14.2 percent and Seoul at 13.1 percent.
“An increase in the population of women in their early 30s, a rise in marriages since the Covid-19 pandemic and childbearing support policies by both the central and local governments have contributed to the recent birth increase,” a Statistics Korea official said.
Marriage trends, often a precursor to childbirth, have also turned upward.
A total of 18,921 couples registered marriages in April, up 4.9 percent from a year earlier. Marriage registrations have also been climbing for 13 straight months since April 2024.
![The photo shows the neonatal unit at MizMedi Hospital in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 26. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/06/25/d6b68aa9-a234-4acf-93da-124018f18c3e.jpg)
The photo shows the neonatal unit at MizMedi Hospital in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 26. [JOONGANG ILBO]
From January to April, 77,625 couples registered marriages, a 7.5 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
One reason for the rebound is a post-pandemic surge in delayed weddings.
Another factor is demographic, the so-called “echo boomers” — people born between 1991 and 1996 to postwar baby boomer parents — are now reaching their early 30s, considered the prime age for marriage in Korea.
Statistics Korea’s resident registration data shows that the number of women aged 30 to 34 rose from 1.51 million in 2020 to 1.65 million as of last month, a 9.6 percent increase.
The number of men in the same age group grew from 1.64 million to 1.84 million during the same period, a rise of 12.5 percent.
Since the average first child in Korea is born about two years after marriage, officials expect the upward trend in births to continue for the time being.
In April, 62 percent of babies born were first children, up from 60.8 percent a year earlier.
The increase in the number of babies in April comes after Korea saw a year-on-year rise in newborns during the first quarter of the year, the country's first in a decade.
Despite the recent improvement in birth and marriage indicators, experts say Korea is still grappling with the long-term effects of its historically low fertility rate.
The UN’s latest World Population Prospects report shows that Korea’s youth population makes up just 10.6 percent of the total.
Among countries with populations over 40 million, that is the lowest rate, below Japan’s 11.4 percent.
Since 2020, Korea has had a smaller share of youth than Japan, as many Koreans stop after their first baby, while a relatively high number of Japanese go on to have second and third children. Korea’s share of third-born or later children now stands at about half the level of Japan’s.
![Students walk to school at an elementary school in Seoul on May 16. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/06/25/df9984c6-a97d-4872-984a-c50f6cecb21f.jpg)
Students walk to school at an elementary school in Seoul on May 16. [NEWS1]
Only 8 percent of Korean births in 2022 were third children or beyond, the lowest among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries, according to the organization’s latest “Society at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2025” biennial report. In contrast, the share in Japan was 17 percent.
Late marriage is reportedly a key reason fewer Koreans go on to have a second or third child, with the delay pushing back the timing of the first child, making it harder for couples to consider additional children later.
Korean mothers now give birth at an average age of 33.5, the highest among OECD countries, where the average is 30.9.
The UN classifies Korea as an “ultralow fertility” country and estimates that the likelihood of its fertility rate "rebounding to the population replacement level of 2.1 is only 0.1 percent."
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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