The total fertility rate from July to September this year recorded 0.7, the lowest ever for the third quarter. It hit the bottom for two consecutive quarters following the previous quarter. Considering the trend of decreasing births, it is expected that the total fertility rate will fall to the 0.6 range in the fourth quarter.
According to the 'September Population Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 29th, the total fertility rate for the third quarter is 0.70. The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime. It decreased by 0.10 from 0.80 in the third quarter of the previous year. This matches the lowest record since statistics began in 2009, the same as the last fourth quarter and this year's second quarter. It is the lowest for the third quarter on record.
The number of births in the third quarter was 56,794, down 7,381 (11.5%) compared to the same quarter last year. The crude birth rate, which refers to the number of births per 1,000 people, was 4.4 in the third quarter, down 0.6 from the previous year. By age group, the number of births per 1,000 people decreased the most in the 30-34 age group, dropping by 10.7.
The number of births in September was 18,707, down 3,211 (14.6%) compared to the same month last year. The number of deaths was 28,364, down 869 (3.0%).
The number of marriages in the third quarter was 41,706. Compared to 45,413 in the third quarter of last year, it decreased by 3,707 (8.2%). The marriage rate (number of marriages per 1,000 people) fell across all age groups for both men and women.
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