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Korea's birthrate increases for 16th consecutive month in October

Published: 24 Dec. 2025, 19:32 Updated: 25 Dec. 2025, 16:17

A nurse looks over a newborn at a nursery room at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 26. [YONHAP]

Korea’s number of births increased in October for a 16th straight month, as more couples get married and a large generation entered its prime childbearing years, government data showed on Wednesday.

The trend puts the country, which has one of the world’s lowest birthrates, on track for a second consecutive annual increase after years of decline.

The number of babies born in October totaled 21,958, up 2.5 percent from a year earlier and marking the highest October figure since 2020, according to a report released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Births have risen on a year-on-year basis every month since July last year. From January through October, Korea recorded 212,998 births, up 6.5 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Annual births fell to a record low of 230,028 in 2023 before rebounding to 238,317 last year. If the current pace continues, total births will rise again this year.

The total fertility rate stood at 0.81 in October, up from 0.79 a year earlier but still among the lowest in the world. The total fertility rate, a widely used demographic indicator, shows the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life.

Officials attributed the increase in births in part to demographic shifts. The children of the second baby boom generation — those born between 1964 and 1974 — have entered their early to mid-30s, a stage of life when marriage and childbirth typically rise.

Marriage numbers, which often precede changes in birth trends, also continued to rise. Korea recorded 19,586 marriages in October, up 0.2 percent from a year earlier and extending a streak of year-on-year increases that began in April of last year.

The pace of growth slowed from September, when marriages jumped 20.1 percent from a year earlier. The Data Ministry said the moderation reflected base effects after an unusually large 22.3 percent increase in October last year.

Despite the rebound, deaths continued to exceed births. Korea’s population declined naturally by 7,781 people in October as deaths totaled 29,739.

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 NAM SOO-HYOUN [[email protected]]