Birth rate in South Korea, the world’s lowest, set to rise for the first time in nine years
Seoul, South Korea – South KoreaThe birth rate is expected to show an increase in 2024 for the first time in nine years, after a recovery in marriages that were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Asian country had the world’s lowest fertility rates, but the number of new births from January 2024 to November 2024 rose 3% from a year earlier to 220,094, monthly government data showed Wednesday.
In 2023, the number of new births decreased by 7.7%, continuing the decline for the eighth consecutive year, and resulting in an annual fertility rate of 0.72, the lowest in the world.
The rise comes as marriage rates rise in 2023, the first increase in 12 years after couples postponed weddings during the pandemic.
In South Korea, there is a high correlation between marriage and births, with a time lag of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite for having children.
In a government poll last year, 62.8% of South Koreans opposed out-of-wedlock births, although this percentage was down from 77.5% a decade ago.
In the neighbourhood ChinaThe number of births rose by 5.8% to 9.54 million in 2024, also supported by delayed marriage due to the pandemic.
The number of marriages in South Korea from January to November jumped by 13.5% to 199,903. This number, barring a change in December, would represent the largest annual increase since 1980.
Last year, South Korea took various measures to encourage young people to get married and have children, now that the president has been impeached Yoon Suk Yeol He declared a “national demographic crisis” and a plan to create a new ministry dedicated to addressing falling birth rates.
Most of the measures consist of financial support through tax cuts and subsidies, namely a one-time tax cut of 500,000 won ($349.35) per person for couples married between 2024 and 2026, although the government has said it will try to take a more comprehensive approach. Approaching.
Annual data for 2024 is scheduled to be released on February 26.
