South Korea’s Births Rise: Fastest Growth in 34 Years, but Long-Term Concerns Remain
South Korea witnessed its largest increase in births in 34 years in April, with an 8.7% rise from the previous year, reaching 20,717 births. This increase, the first time births surpassed 20,000 in three years, is attributed to a rise in marriages, a growing population of women in their early 30s, and government initiatives promoting childbirth. While the total fertility rate also increased, the country still experienced a natural population decline due to more deaths than births, and the number of divorces decreased.
John Q. Hosedrinker