South Korea’s fertility rate increased for the first time in nine years, offering a glimmer of hope in the country’s ongoing battle against a severe demographic crisis, according to Reuters.
According to preliminary data released on Wednesday, the rise in births is attributed to a significant increase in marriages, which surged to their highest level in decades.
The fertility rate, which measures the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life, rose to 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 in 2023. While still among the lowest in the world, this marks the first uptick since 2015, when the rate was 1.24. South Korea has been the only member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with a fertility rate below 1 since 2018.
Marriages, a key indicator of future births, jumped by 14.9% in 2024, the largest annual increase since records began in 1970. This follows a 1.0% rise in 2023, which was the first increase in 11 years and was partly driven by a post-pandemic rebound.
Park Hyun-jung, an official at Statistics Korea, attributed the rise in births to a combination of factors, including shifting social attitudes towards marriage and childbirth, an increase in the number of people in their early 30s, and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was a change in social value, with more positive views about marriage and childbirth.
Efforts to address demographic crisis
South Korea has implemented a range of measures to encourage young people to marry and have children, following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of a “national demographic crisis” and his proposal to establish a new ministry dedicated to tackling low birth rates. The efforts appear to be yielding some results, though the fertility rate remains far below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population.
The birthrate varies significantly across the country, with Seoul recording the lowest rate at 0.58 in 2023. Meanwhile, the administrative city of Sejong was the only major urban centre to experience population growth.
Despite the slight increase in births, South Korea’s population continues to shrink naturally. In 2023, there were 120,000 more deaths than births, marking the fifth consecutive year of population decline. The country’s population peaked at 51.83 million in 2020 and is projected to drop to 36.22 million by 2072, according to the latest estimates from Statistics Korea.
While the rise in fertility and marriages offers a positive sign, South Korea’s demographic challenges remain daunting. The government’s efforts to reverse the trend will need to address deep-rooted issues such as high living costs, demanding work cultures, and societal pressures that discourage young people from starting families.
