Researchers: South Korea's Birth Rate Increase Last Year Unclear

In 2024, the number of babies born in South Korea rose for the first time in nine years. The change is good news for a country with big population problems.

The statistics agency said 238,300 babies were born last year, up 8,300 from the year before.

The agency said the fertility rate — the average number of babies born to a woman in her reproductive years — was 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 in 2023.

This data marks the first time the yearly number of births has increased since 2015.

Choi Yoon Kyung is an expert with the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education. Choi told the Associated Press that researchers must wait for more data in the next few years to see if the rise in births comes from "structural changes."

Park Hyun Jung is with Statistics Korea. Park said the agency believes the rise is partly due to more marriages after postponements of such plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Park said another reason is that a growing number of people are entering their early 30s. She also noted a government study that shows a small rise in the number of young people hoping to have children after marriage.

Official data show South Korea's fertility rate has been the lowest in the developed world in recent years. In 2022, South Korea was the only country with a fertility rate below one among OECD members.

The low fertility rate could threaten South Korea's economic health. The country, Asia's fourth largest economy, could face labor shortages and greater spending on public assistance programs. South Korea's central and local governments have been increasingly offering several support programs to those who give birth to children.

But experts say it will be difficult to solve the country's population problems. Many young people say they do not want to have babies.