Marriages, births up in September as 'echo-boom' gen turns common marriage age
Published: 26 Nov. 2025, 18:55
Updated: 26 Nov. 2025, 19:17
![The picture shows a wedding. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/e4c9addf-19d8-4fba-b4d7-7290434d3207.jpg)
The picture shows a wedding. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Marriage and birth rates in Korea rose significantly in September, driven by a demographic shift as the "echo-boom" generation — typically defined as those born between 1990 and 1995 — enters popular years for starting families, marking a notable break from the country’s population decline.
A total of 18,462 couples got married in September this year, a 20.1 percent increase from the same month 2024, according to data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It was the highest number of September marriages since 2015, and both the volume and growth rate were the largest recorded since monthly statistics began in 1981.
The number of marriages has been climbing steadily since April 2024. From January through September this year, 176,178 marriages were registered, up 8.9 percent from the same period last year.
Births rose as well. In September this year, 22,369 babies were born, up 8.6 percent from a year earlier. Monthly births have now increased for 15 consecutive months.
Cumulative births for this year through September totaled 191,040, a 7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. The number of births saw its largest increase since 2007.
The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime — reached 0.85 in September this year, up 0.06 from a year earlier.
When broken down by age, birth rates in the third quarter fell by 0.1 births among women aged 25 to 29, but increased by 2.4 among those aged 30 to 34 and by 5.3 among those aged 35 to 39.
Experts attribute the trend to the echo-boom generation, many of whom are now in their early to mid-30s. This group, the children of Korea’s baby boomers, represents a relatively large cohort now entering the typical age range for marriage and childbirth.
![Nurses care for newborns in the neonatal unit at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi on Nov. 26. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/26/f6642aeb-9a6b-47dd-836b-d875d0e8392e.jpg)
Nurses care for newborns in the neonatal unit at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi on Nov. 26. [YONHAP]
“The rise in marriages reflects both weddings that were delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact that many people born in 1994, the largest cohort of the echo-boom generation, are now reaching typical marrying age,” said Go Woo-rim, associate research professor at Seoul National University’s Population Policy Research Center.
Public attitudes toward marriage also appear to be shifting. A survey by the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy in October found that 62.6 percent of unmarried men and women view marriage positively, up 6.7 percentage points from March 2024.
Government incentives appear to be boosting the trend.
“Many parents who already had children chose to have another last year because they felt that cash benefits and medical support had improved,” said Lee Ji-hye, associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.
Experts say now is a critical window to reverse Korea’s low birthrate, as the echo-boom generation enters common ages for marrying. Once this group moves through its 30s, the population of women of childbearing age will begin to decline again.
“Marriage no longer leads to childbirth as directly as it once did,” said Cho Young-tae, professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health. “Now that the echo-boom generation is reaching this stage, it’s important to ensure that the social and policy environment supports people who want to raise children.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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