The Power of Jobs and Childcare Infrastructure: Hwaseong Tops Nationwide Births for Third Consecutive Year

8,116 Births Last Year, Up 11.4% from Previous Year
Largest Childbirth Grants and Most Public Childcare Centers Nationwide

Last year, the city of Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province heard the cries of 8,116 newborns. It was the only basic local government in the country where the number of births exceeded 8,000. As a result, Hwaseong continued its record as the city with the highest number of births for the third consecutive year.

According to last year’s resident registration population statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Hwaseong recorded 8,116 births. This is an increase of 11.4% (833 babies) compared to 7,283 in 2024. This figure is nearly double the national average growth rate of 6.56%, marking a rare increase in the number of newborns last year.

The number of births in Hwaseong accounts for 10.4% of the total 77,702 births in Gyeonggi Province. In other words, one out of every ten babies born in the province last year was a resident of Hwaseong.

The number of births in Hwaseong stands out even when compared to other special cities with populations over 100,000. Last year, the number of births in major special cities was as follows: Suwon - 7,060, Yongin - 5,906, and Goyang - 5,522.

For this reason, the resident registration population in Hwaseong also increased by 21,148 compared to the previous year, ranking second in growth among all basic local governments nationwide, following Seongdong-gu in Seoul.

The biggest driving forces behind Hwaseong’s top birth rate are the availability of quality jobs and stable residential environments such as the Dongtan New Town. In addition, the city’s various policies to address the low birth rate are credited with attracting young people and increasing marriage and childbirth rates.

The city provides childbirth grants of 1 million won for the first child, 2 million won for the second and third child, and 3 million won for the fourth child and beyond. The total amount of childbirth grants paid out last year alone exceeded 11.2 billion won.

Since 2023, the criteria for multi-child families have been relaxed from three children to two, and a variety of preferential benefits that can be felt in daily life, such as discounts on public parking lots, public campgrounds, and performance hall admission fees, are also being offered.

The city’s childcare infrastructure is considered among the best in the country. Hwaseong has 163 public childcare centers, the highest number among all local governments nationwide. Customized care services to address blind spots in childcare, such as the ‘Childcare Center’ and ‘Holiday Childcare Center’, are also being expanded.

The city plans to maintain its position as the top city for births nationwide by implementing active measures to address the low birth rate. To this end, the related budget was increased by 13.2%, from 480.9 billion won last year to 544.5 billion won this year.

The increased budget has been intensively allocated to reducing the burden of childbirth and childcare, including support for child care, childbirth grants, and infertility treatment costs for couples. New projects such as support for housing loan interest for multi-child families have also been budgeted.

Park Mirang, Director of Welfare at Hwaseong City, said, “Being ranked number one in the nation for births for three consecutive years is a symbolic indicator of Hwaseong’s dynamism as a young city,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen policies that can be tangibly felt at every stage from marriage to childbirth to childcare.”