SEOUL: South Korea's births recorded double-digit growth for a fifth consecutive month, government data showed on Wednesday.
The number of newborn babies rose 13.6 per cent from a year earlier to 23,160 in May, continuing the double-digit increase seen since January, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
The increase extended the upward trend to 23 consecutive months since July 2024, marking the fastest growth for the month of May since relevant records began in 1981.
The total fertility rate, or the number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, increased by 0.10 to 0.85 during the month. However, it remained well below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population.
The number of marriages fell 6.4 per cent year-on-year to 20,368 in May, while the number of divorces declined 3.9 per cent to 7,122.
The number of deaths increased 3.8 per cent to 29,573 in May compared with the same month last year.
Despite the sustained rise in births, the combination of relatively low birth numbers and higher deaths resulted in a natural population decline of 6,413 during the month. - Xinhua
