S. Korea Records Increase in August Births
(MENAFN) South Korea recorded an increase in births for the 14th consecutive month in August, driven in part by a rise in marriages, according to Statistics Korea data released Wednesday.
The country welcomed 20,867 newborns in August, marking a 3.8 percent jump from the same month last year and continuing a growth trend that began in July 2024.
The total fertility rate—the projected number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime—rose slightly by 0.02 to 0.77 in August. Despite the increase, it remains well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman needed to sustain a stable population.
Marriage numbers surged 11.0 percent year-on-year to 19,449 in August, while divorces declined 5.5 percent to 7,196.
Concerns persist over younger generations delaying or forgoing parenthood due to economic pressures, including high housing prices, expensive education, and persistent youth unemployment.
The persistently low birth rate continues to stoke fears of a demographic cliff, which could trigger a sharp drop in household heads and, ultimately, a consumption cliff.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
