The number of babies born in July reached the highest level for the month in seven years, extending a year-on-year increase to 25 straight months. The fertility rate also rose, but South Korea's population declined naturally for an 81st consecutive month.
A total of 24,275 babies were born in July, up 2,421, or 11.1%, from a year earlier, according to population trend data released by Statistics Korea on the 23rd. Births have risen year-on-year every month since July 2024.
For the month of July, it was the highest figure since 25,222 births in 2019. July births have now increased for three straight years, following 20,580 in 2024 and 21,854 last year. Cumulative births for January through July came to 170,079, a 14.7% increase from the same period a year earlier.
The fertility rate also climbed. The total fertility rate for July stood at 0.89, up 0.08 from 0.81 in the same month last year. The gain was largest among women in their 30s. The rate for women aged 30 to 34 rose 7.9 to 82.1 births per 1,000 women, while the rate for those aged 35 to 39 rose 8.6 to 61.1.
The increase was nationwide. July births rose from a year earlier in every province and major city. In Seoul, cumulative births for January through July reached 31,367, up 17.9% and outpacing the national increase of 14.7%.
Marriages also rose along with births. There were 22,282 marriages in July, up 1,890, or 9.3%, from the same month last year. The cumulative total for January through July was 146,656, a 6.1% increase from a year earlier. Divorces in July fell 0.8% to 7,764.
The natural population decline continued, however. Deaths in July totaled 28,921, up 3.0% from a year earlier and exceeding births by 4,647. The population has shrunk naturally every month since November 2019, a stretch of 81 months.
The pace of that decline narrowed markedly. The natural decrease was 6,228 in July last year, compared with 4,647 this year. The cumulative natural decrease for January through July was 37,664, about 42% smaller than the 64,990 recorded in the same period last year.
