SEOUL: South Korea’s population is set to display a surge in 2024 for the first time in nine centuries, following a rise in relationships that were delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Asian country has recorded the world’s lowest fertility rates, but the number of newborns between January 2024 and November 2024 rose 3 per cent from a year earlier to 220,094, monthly government data showed on Wednesday ( Jan 22 ).
In 2023, children fell by 7. 7 per share, extending falls to an seventh consecutive season and resulting in an annual reproduction rate of 0. 72, the lowest worldwide.
The increase comes as couples rose in 2023, marking the initial increase in 12 times after people had postponed ceremonies during the crisis.
In the Eastern land, there is a high correlation between couples and babies, with a time lag of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite to having children.
In a state poll last year, 62. 8 per cent of South Koreans opposed birth outside marriage, though that was over from 77. 5 per share seen a decade ago.