SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s birth rate is set to rise in 2024 for the first time in nine years, following a recovery in marriages delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Asian country has recorded one of the world’s lowest birth rates, but the number of newborns from January 2024 to November 2024 rose 3 percent to 220,094 from a year earlier, monthly government data showed on Wednesday.
In 2023, the number of newborns fell by 7.7 percent, the eighth consecutive year of decline, and resulted in an annual birth rate of 0.72, the lowest globally.
The increase comes as marriages rose in 2023, the first increase in 12 years after couples postponed their weddings during the pandemic.
In South Korea, there is a high correlation between marriages and births, with an interval of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite for having children.
In a government survey last year, 62.8 percent of South Koreans opposed births outside of marriage, down from 77.5 percent a decade ago.
In neighboring China, births are expected to rise 5.8 percent to 9.54 million in 2024, also boosted by delayed marriages due to the pandemic.
The number of marriages in South Korea rose 13.5 percent to 199,903 from January to November. The figure, unless unchanged in December, would be the biggest annual increase since 1980.
Last year, South Korea launched various measures to encourage young people to marry and have children, with impeached President Yoon Seok-yul creating a new ministry to deal with the “national demographic crisis” and low birth rate. announced the project.
Most of the measures consisted of financial support through tax cuts and subsidies, such as a one-time tax cut of 500,000 won ($349.35) per person for married couples between 2024 and 2026, although the government has said it plans more comprehensive measures. Will try to. The point of view
The annual data for 2024 is scheduled to be released on February 26.
