South Korea’s birth rate surged in January, with 23,947 newborns recorded, marking an 11.6% increase from the previous year, according to data released by Statistics Korea on March 26. This is the largest increase for the month of January since records began in 1981. The increase follows a trend that began in July 2024, with the number of births rising for seven consecutive months. Since October, the birth rate has shown double-digit growth for four straight months, including a 13.4% rise in October.
January’s birth increase marks the first time since 2015 that the number of births in January has risen. Analysts attribute this to the growing number of individuals born in the early 1990s (1991-1995), who are now in their early to mid-30s and beginning to marry and have children.
The surge in births was accompanied by a modest rise in marriages, with 20,153 recorded in January, a 0.7% increase from 20,004 in the same month last year. While the increase was modest compared to January 2024, when marriage numbers rose by around 11.6%, experts believe the upward trend will continue. A Statistics Korea official noted that because there is a delay between marriage and childbirth, the rising birth rate is expected to continue in the coming months.
The increase in both marriages and births is driven by those born in the early 1990s. This group, born in the early 1990s and numbering over 700,000 annually, is larger than those born in the late 1980s (around 600,000) or the early 2000s (400,000-600,000). They are now reaching the age when marriage and childbirth are most common. According to newly released data on birth rates by maternal age, the birth rate for women aged 30-34 in January was 81.1 per 1,000 women, an increase of 8 from 73.1 in January 2024. This marks the first return to the 80s since January 2023 (80.0).
The total fertility rate in January also rose to 0.88, up from 0.80 the previous year. This is the highest fertility rate for January in the past three years, surpassing 0.86 in January 2023. Previously reported quarterly, total fertility rates will now be published monthly to provide more timely statistics.
