Sejong Oct 26 (BNA): The number of babies born in South Korea hit an all-time low in August as deaths hit a record high amid rapid aging and the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.
A total of 21,758 babies were born in August, down 2.4 percent from the previous year, according to data from Statistics Korea. Yonhap reported.
It is the lowest number in any August since the statistics agency began collecting relevant data in 1981. But it is up from 20,441 new births in July.
South Korea continues to suffer from a chronic low birthrate as many young people delay or give up getting married or having children in the face of an economic slowdown and rising house prices, along with changing social norms around marriage.
The country broke its own record for the lowest birth rate in the world last year.
The total fertility rate, which is the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, was 0.81 in 2021, down from 0.84 the previous year. Last year marked the fourth year in a row that the number was less than 1.
Rapid aging and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic also drove the death toll to a record high in August.
A total of 3,001 people died in the month, up 15.8 percent from the previous year. It represents the highest number of any August and also represents the eighteenth consecutive month of increase.
With deaths outnumbering births, the country’s population fell by 8,243 in August, the 34th consecutive month of fall.
South Korea reported its first natural decline in its population in 2020, as the bleak demographic trend continues.
Meanwhile, data showed the number of marriages rose 6.8 percent year-on-year to 15,718 in August as the number of marriages increased amid softer COVID-19 rules.
The number of divorces fell 1.8% year-on-year to 8,227 per month.
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