Quarterly Births Rebound After Over 8 Years in Q2... Total Fertility Rate at 0.71

Statistics Korea, June Population Trends

The number of births in the second quarter of this year rebounded for the first time in over eight years, maintaining the total fertility rate at around 0.7. The number of marriages continued to increase for the third consecutive month.

According to population trends released by Statistics Korea on the 28th, the number of births in the second quarter was 56,838, an increase of 1.2% (691 births) compared to the same period last year. This marks the first increase in 34 quarters since the fourth quarter of 2015 (0.6%). The number of births rose for two consecutive months in April (2.8%) and May (2.7%), leading to an overall increase in births in the second quarter.

However, the number of births in June was 18,242, a decrease of 1.8% (343 births) compared to the same month last year. This is the lowest number recorded for June and marks a decline after three months of increases. Statistics Korea explained this as a "base effect due to the relatively small decrease of 1.7% in June last year."

Statistics Korea expects the monthly number of births to fluctuate between increases and decreases compared to the previous year. The recent birth trends have been mainly influenced by the rise in marriages from the second half of 2022 through the first half of last year.

The total fertility rate in the second quarter (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) was 0.71, similar to the record low of 0.71 in the second quarter of last year.

The number of deaths in the second quarter was 84,147, an increase of 1.1% (912 deaths). In June alone, deaths numbered 26,942, up 0.5% (139 deaths). With deaths exceeding births in the second quarter, the population naturally decreased by 27,309. The population has been naturally declining for over four years since the fourth quarter of 2019.

The number of marriages in the second quarter was 55,910, an increase of 17.1% (8,173 marriages). This is the second-largest increase in any quarter since the first quarter of last year (18.9%).

By month, marriages increased for three consecutive months in April (24.6%), May (21.6%), and June (5.6%). Structural factors such as an increase in the population in their early 30s, along with policies like marriage support funds, are believed to have contributed to this rise.

The number of divorces in the second quarter was 22,831, a decrease of 2.7% (639 divorces).