South Korea recorded its highest birth rate in 14 years in May, Korean media reported on Wednesday.
The number of newborns in May increased by almost 4% compared to the same month last year — 20,309 children were born, which is 3.8% more than the 19,567 newborns in May last year. This is the largest May increase since 2011, when the increase was 5.3%.
May was the second consecutive month in which the number of newborns exceeded 20,000, and the 11th consecutive month with positive growth compared to the same period last year, starting in July.
Also in May, the total fertility rate (the average number of children that a woman can have in her lifetime) rose to 0.75, which is 0.02 higher than last year’s figure.
According to a representative of the Statistics Bureau, the increase in the birth rate is likely due to an increase in the number of marriages since last year, an increase in the number of women aged 30+, and government measures to support families.
In South Korea, childbirth outside of marriage remains rare, so an increase in the number of marriages is traditionally accompanied by an increase in the birth rate.
By the end of 2023, South Korea officially entered the category of countries with a “super-aged” population, with 20% of citizens over the age of 65, the majority of whom are women.
To overcome the demographic crisis, the authorities have begun to implement measures to support young families. In particular, those who marry between 2024 and 2026 will be entitled to a one-off tax credit of 500,000 won (about £268).
In addition, last year, following former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of a “national demographic crisis,” a strategy was developed to create a new ministry for demographics and low birth rates.
Similar processes are being observed in China, where the number of newborns rose by 5.8% in 2024 to 9.54 million. Experts attribute this to marriages that were previously postponed.
