May Birth Rate Up 3.8%, Highest Increase in 14 Years

Births in May Increase by 3.8%
Number of Marriages Rises for 14 Consecutive Months

In May 2025, the number of newborns reached 20,309, marking the highest figure for any May in the past decade. The birth rate growth was also the highest in 14 years. This upward trend in births is being sustained by an increase in marriages and a growing population of women in their early 30s.

According to the "Population Trends for May 2025" released by Statistics Korea on July 23, the number of births in May was 20,309, an increase of 3.8% (741 babies) compared to the same month last year. This is the highest May figure since May 2015. Both the growth rate and the increase in numbers were the largest for May since May 2011 and May 2015, respectively.

The number of births has been rising for 11 consecutive months since July last year. An official from Statistics Korea explained, "Although the scale of the increase varies from month to month, the upward trend continues." The cumulative number of births from January to May this year was 106,048, a 6.9% increase compared to the same period last year.

Statistics Korea explained that, given the high proportion of births within marriage (95.3%) in Korea, the increase in the number of marriages has contributed to the rise in births. In fact, the number of marriages last month was 21,761, an increase of 4.0% (840 cases), marking 14 consecutive months of growth since April last year.

The increase in the population of women in their early 30s has also contributed to the rise in births. Additionally, a more positive perception of marriage and childbirth, as well as the expansion of support policies related to childbirth and marriage, have influenced the increase in the number of newborns.

In May, the total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years) was 0.75, up by 0.02 from the previous month. Statistics Korea has been publishing the total fertility rate on a monthly basis since this year. This marks five consecutive months of increase.

Breaking down the number of births per 1,000 women by age group, the figure for those aged 24 and under (2.2) decreased compared to the same month last year. However, the numbers increased for women aged 25-29 (19.9), 30-34 (69.1), 35-39 (47.4), and 40 and above (4.1).

The number of deaths in May was 28,510, a decrease of 7 (0.0%). Despite the increase in births, the trend of natural population decline continues due to factors such as population aging. The natural decrease in May, calculated by subtracting the number of deaths from the number of births, was 8,202. The cumulative natural decrease for this year through May was 52,143.

The number of divorces in May was 7,413, a decrease of 6.4%. While four regions, including Busan (468 cases) and Ulsan (160 cases), saw an increase, 13 regions, including Seoul (1,028 cases) and Daegu (294 cases), experienced a decrease.