South Korea’s birth rate increases for first time in a decade… along with marriages

LIVE ACTION/ Amanda Vicinanzo-

South Korea’s birth rate has risen for the first time since 2015, with 238,300 babies born in 2024 — a jump of 8,300 from the previous year. This increase has brought the country’s fertility rate up to 0.75, up from a record low of 0.72 in 2023, according to data from Statistics Korea. While still the lowest in the world, this shift signals hope amid South Korea’s ongoing demographic crisis.

“It’s fair to say this is a considerably meaningful rebound,” Choi Yoon Kyung, an expert at the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, stated. “We still have to see figures in the next few years to find whether it was a temporary rebound or it was driven by structural changes.”

Experts point to a 14.9% increase in marriages in 2024, the largest increase since 1970, as a key factor behind the surge. Many couples who delayed marriage during the COVID-19 pandemic are now starting families, while a rising number of people in their early 30s are getting married and having children.

“There was a change in social value, with more positive views about marriage and childbirth,” Park Hyun-jung, an official at Statistics Korea, said.

Government efforts to reverse the low birth rate include financial incentives, housing assistance, and childcare support. In one striking example, a South Korean city in 2021 offered married couples nearly $100,000 to have more children in an effort to bolster its shrinking population. Alongside these policy initiatives, a cultural shift is emerging, with more young people expressing a desire to have children. However, the effects of decades-long population control measures — such as sterilization campaigns — continue to shape societal attitudes toward family life. Continue reading…