22 consecutive months of growth; total fertility rate rises to 0.93

Births from January to April reach 99,534 — highest since 2019

Marriages also up 9%, hitting a 10-year high for April

A nurse cares for newborns at Ilsan CHA Hospital of CHA University of Medicine and Science in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]
A nurse cares for newborns at Ilsan CHA Hospital of CHA University of Medicine and Science in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

Nearly 100,000 babies were born in South Korea in the first four months of this year, the highest figure since 2019, as the country's low birth rate shows signs of a sustained rebound. Both the monthly and cumulative birth growth rates hit record highs since statistics began being compiled, and marriages reached a 10-year peak for April.

The Ministry of Statistics released its "April Population Trends" report Wednesday, showing 24,521 babies were born in April — an increase of 3,734, or 18.0 percent, from the same month last year. That was the highest April birth count since 2019, when 26,104 babies were born, and the growth rate was the highest since records began in 1981.

Births have now risen for 22 consecutive months since July 2024. The cumulative birth count for January through April stood at 99,534, the highest for that period since 2019, when 109,134 babies were born in the same span. The year-on-year growth rate of 15.5 percent for the four-month period also set an all-time high.

Fertility indicators also improved. The total fertility rate for April rose to 0.93, up 0.13 from a year earlier. Analysts attributed the increase in births to a sustained rise in marriages over the past two years, a growing population of women in their 30s, and shifting attitudes toward having children.

By birth order, first children accounted for 62.2 percent of births and second children for 32.2 percent, each up 0.3 percentage points from last year. Third and subsequent births fell 0.7 percentage points to 5.6 percent.

Marriages, a leading indicator for births, continued to climb. April saw 20,622 marriages, up 1,703, or 9.0 percent, from a year earlier — the highest April figure since 2016. The increase follows a sharp 24.6 percent surge in 2024 and extends a run of consecutive annual gains.

Divorces, however, rose to 7,829 cases, up 531, or 7.3 percent, from the same month last year.

Deaths in April totaled 28,405, down 386, or 1.3 percent, from a year earlier. The population still recorded a natural decline of 3,884, as deaths continued to outnumber births. That figure was less than half the natural decrease of 8,004 recorded in April last year.

"The recent rise in marriages and the growing population of women in childbearing age groups are contributing to the increase in births," a Ministry of Statistics official said. "The upward trend in births is likely to continue for now."


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