[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kim Hyewon] The total fertility rate in the second quarter of this year fell to the lowest ever for the same quarter. Since the statistics began, the number of births and deaths also recorded the lowest and highest figures respectively for the second quarter.
According to the "June Population Trends" released by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the total fertility rate, which is the expected number of children a woman of childbearing age will have in her lifetime, was recorded at 0.75 in the second quarter. This is the lowest ever for the second quarter.
The total fertility rate has remained below 1 for 13 consecutive quarters since recording 1.02 in the first quarter of 2019. It is also expected to break the record for the lowest annual rate. South Korea's annual total fertility rate has been below 1 for four consecutive years: 0.98 in 2018, 0.92 in 2019, 0.84 in 2020, and 0.81 in 2021.
The number of births in the second quarter was 59,961, a decrease of 9.3% (6,168) compared to the same period last year. This is the lowest number for the second quarter since monthly birth statistics began in 1981. The number of births in June was 18,830, down 12.4% (2,674) from the same month last year, marking the first time the number fell below 20,000 for June. The birth decline rate in June was also the largest this year.
The number of deaths in the second quarter was 90,406, an increase of 20.5% (15,353) compared to the same period last year. This is the highest ever for the second quarter since monthly death statistics began in 1983. As a result, the number of deaths from January to June this year, including the first quarter (103,363), set an all-time high.
Seo Juhee, an official from the Population Trends Division of the Social Statistics Bureau at Statistics Korea, said, "Compared to the explosive increase in deaths in the first quarter, the situation is stabilizing, so we need to observe the trend a bit longer to determine if this is due to COVID-19." Looking at June alone, the number of deaths was 24,850, an increase of 1.9% (452) from the same month last year. Due to the number of deaths exceeding births, natural population decline has continued for 32 months.
The number of marriages in the second quarter was 47,734, a decrease of 1.1% (515) compared to the same period last year. By age group, the marriage rate decreased the most among men in their early 30s and women in their late 20s. The number of divorces in the second quarter was 23,156, down 11.7% (3,069) from the same period last year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
