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S. Korea continues natural fall in population amid record low births

January 24, 2024

South Korea continued to experience a natural decline in it population in November as deaths continued to outnumber births, data showed Wednesday.

A total of 17,531 babies were born in November, down 7.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

The latest tally marks the lowest number for any November since the agency began to compile related data in 1981.

The number of deaths, on the other hand, edged up 0.3 percent over the period to 30,255, resulting in a natural decrease of 12,724.

South Korea reported the first natural fall in its population in 2019, and the trend of deaths surpassing births has continued for 49 consecutive months.

In the first 11 months of 2023, the number of newborns stood at 213,572, down 8.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the smallest number on record during the cited period.

South Korea has been suffering from chronically low births, as more young people avoid having children amid economic uncertainties and soaring property costs.

The number of marriages, meanwhile, decreased 4.4 percent over the period to 16,695 cases. That of divorces reached 7,923, down 6.8 percent.

This file photo taken on Dec. 26, 2023, shows a postpartum care service center in Seoul. (Yonhap)
This file photo taken on Dec. 26, 2023, shows a postpartum care service center in Seoul. (Yonhap)