Korea sees record-low births in July

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Wed, December 6, 2023 | 10:08

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Korea sees record-low births in July

Posted : 2023-09-27 14:47

Updated : 2023-09-29 18:55

Mothers with babies look around at strollers displayed during an exhibtion of baby products at COEX in southern Seoul, Sept. 14. Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

The number of babies born in Korea in July sank to an all-time low, data showed on Wednesday, accelerating the looming demographic crisis and further consolidating the country's transformation into an aging society.

According to Statistics Korea, a total of 19,102 births were reported in July, down 6.7 percent from a year earlier.

It marked the lowest number of births for any July since 1981 when the statistics agency began compiling related data. It was also the first time that the figure sank below 20,000.

The July figure extends a year-on-year decline in the number of newborns for 10 straight months.

In particular, record-low births have been reported for each month this year ― 23,179 in January, 19,939 in February, 21,138 in March, 18,484 in April, 18,988 in May, and 18,615 in June.

By region, all major cities and provinces saw a year-on-year fall in births in July except for North Chungcheong Province, where the number of newborn babies increased from 598 to 635 over the cited period.

The number of newborn babies decreased from 3,530 to 3,298 in Seoul, from 1,145 to 1,030 in Busan, from 820 to 795 in Daegu, from 1,147 to 1,142 in Incheon, and from 6,281 to 5,707 in Gyeonggi Province.

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In contrast, the number of deaths in the country went up 8.3 percent year-on-year to 28,238 in July.

The figure results from a natural decrease in population by 9,137 and continues the trend of deaths surpassing births for the 45th straight month.

“The higher number of deaths than births is apparently behind the dwindling population and it is clear that a higher fertility rate is crucial,” said Cho Yooung-tae, a demography professor at Seoul National University.

The country’s population, after peaking at 51.84 million in 2020, started to decline in 2021 and is anticipated to fall to 50.19 million in 2040, according to Statistics Korea.

The country’s total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, dipped to a record low of 0.78 in 2022. The rate is far below 2.1, which experts believe is crucial to keep the country’s population stable at 52 million.

A rapidly aging society is another demographic trend in Korea, with the total number of people aged 65 or older having surpassed 9 million in 2022 for the first time ever. The number is expected to increase at a faster rate in the years ahead.

Senior citizens account for 18.4 percent or 9.5 million of the entire population this year. The country is set to become a super-aged society by 2025, when the age group will represent 20 percent of the population.

To encourage births and tackle the demographic crisis, Cho said “excessive competition” for higher education, jobs and other forms of social ladders need to be resolved.

yistory@koreatimes.co.kr