"Crying Babies": July Births Reach 24,000, Highest in 7 Years... Cumulative Total Surpasses 170,000

The number of newborns in July this year reached the highest level in seven years. With the upward trend in births continuing, the cumulative number of births from January to July this year has surpassed 170,000.

According to the "July Population Trends" released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on September 23, a total of 24,275 babies were born in July—an increase of 2,421 (11.1%) compared to the same month last year. For the month of July alone, this is the largest figure since 2019, when the number was 25,222. The year-on-year growth rate for July is also the highest since 2007, when it was 12.4%. While the number of births typically concentrates in the first half of the year and decreases in the second half, the recent trend has shown continued growth even moving into the latter part of the year.

The cumulative number of births from January through July amounted to 170,079, which also marks the highest number for this period since 2019, when there were 183,647 births. Notably, the year-on-year growth rate in cumulative births for January to July reached 14.7%, the largest increase ever recorded. The sustained increase in births is attributed to a combination of factors, including a rise in the number of marriages over the past two years, an influx of people in their 30s, and improved perceptions surrounding childbirth.

The total fertility rate for July—the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime—was 0.89, up by 0.08 from a year earlier. By age group, women aged 30–34 had 82.1 births per 1,000 women, an increase of 7.9 from the same month last year. For the 35–39 age group, the figure rose by 8.6 to 61.1, while for women aged 25–29, it edged up by 0.4 to 21.0. As this trend continues, there is growing optimism that the annual total fertility rate could recover to the 0.9 level for the first time in seven years.

The number of marriages, which is considered a leading indicator for births, also remains strong. In July, there were 22,282 marriages, up by 1,890 (9.3%) compared to the same month last year.

This is the highest July figure since 2015, when there were 23,571 marriages. From January to July, the cumulative number of marriages reached 146,656, also the highest since 2018, when the figure was 152,458.

By region, the number of marriages increased in 15 cities and provinces including Seoul and Busan, while Jeju recorded a decline.

During the same month, the number of divorces was 7,764, a decrease of 59 cases (0.8%) from the same period the previous year.

Meanwhile, despite the increase in the number of births, the number of deaths continued to surpass that of births, resulting in ongoing natural population decline. The number of deaths in July was tallied at 28,921, up by 839 (3.0%) from the same month last year. As a result, the population decreased by 4,647, marking the 81st consecutive month of natural population decline.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.