Statistics Korea, May Population Trends
[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The number of births in May has once again set a record low. For the first time ever, the natural decrease?where the number of deaths exceeds the number of births?continued for seven consecutive months.
On the 29th, Statistics Korea released the 'May Population Trends' report containing these details.
According to the report, the number of births in May was 23,001, a decrease of 2,359 (-9.3%) compared to the same month last year. This is the lowest number ever recorded for May.
The crude birth rate, which indicates the number of births per 1,000 people, was 5.3, down 0.5 from 5.8 in the same period last year.
The number of deaths in May was 24,353, a decrease of 397 (-1.6%) compared to the same month last year. The crude death rate, which is the number of deaths per 1,000 people, was 5.6, down 0.1 from 5.7 during the same period.
The number of deaths exceeded the number of births by 1,352. Since November last year, the natural population decrease has continued for seven months. The cumulative natural decrease this year is 8,280. It is almost certain that this year will mark the first annual natural population decrease in history.
The number of marriages, a leading indicator of the birth rate, also showed a record low for May. There were 18,145 marriages in May, a decrease of 4,900 (21.3%) compared to the same month last year. The number of divorces in May was 8,929, down 932 (-9.5%) from the same month last year.
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