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

The number of births in South Korea rose 13.6 percent in May from a year earlier, extending a streak of year-on-year gains to eight consecutive months. The total fertility rate also climbed to 0.85, up 0.10 from the same period last year.

However, deaths continued to outnumber births, leaving a natural population decrease of 6,413. Both marriages and divorces also declined.

The Ministry of Statistics released its "Population Trends for May 2026" on Wednesday, showing 23,160 babies were born in May — an increase of 2,781, or 13.6 percent, from the same month last year. Cumulative births from January through May reached 122,694, up 15.2 percent from the same period a year ago.

The total fertility rate for May stood at 0.85, up 0.10 from 0.75 in the same month last year. By age group, women aged 30 to 34 had the highest birth rate at 78.0 per 1,000, while the 35-to-39 group also posted a sharp increase to 58.0.

Births rose in all regions except Jeju. Seoul recorded 4,227 births, up 17.7 percent from a year ago, while Gyeonggi Province posted 7,075 births, a gain of 13.8 percent.

Deaths totaled 29,573 in May, up 1,091, or 3.8 percent, from a year earlier. The natural population change — births minus deaths — came to minus 6,413, continuing a streak of natural population decline. The pace of decline did narrow, however, improving by 1,690 from May last year, when the figure stood at minus 8,103.

Marriages fell to 20,368, down 1,392, or 6.4 percent, from the same month last year. The drop is attributed in part to a base effect from a sharp surge in marriages in May last year. Cumulative marriages from January through May totaled 103,299, up 3.9 percent from the same period a year ago.

Divorces declined by 290, or 3.9 percent, to 7,122. Cumulative divorces from January through May reached 36,240, roughly in line with the same period last year, up just 0.2 percent.


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