digital desk, Seoul. South Korea recorded a decline in the number of babies born in October, the lowest since 1981. According to the figures revealed on Wednesday, the country’s poor demographic situation and low birth rate have become.
A total of 20,736 babies were born in the country in October, down 5.2 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.
The October figure is less than the 21,920 newborns recorded in September.
In the first 10 months of 2021, 224,216 children were born in the country, which is 3.6 percent less than the previous year.
South Korea has been battling a steady decline in child births amid a prolonged economic slowdown and high housing prices as many young people delay getting married or having children.
South Korea’s total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime – hit a record low of 0.84 last year.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased for the eighth consecutive month in October amid a rapidly growing population.
The death toll this month rose to 27,783, a 4.9 percent increase from a year ago.
In the January-October period, the number of deaths rose 2 per cent year-on-year to 257,466.
South Korea recorded its first natural decline in population in 2020, as the number of deaths exceeded that of newborns.
Meanwhile, the number of people who got married in October declined 7.7 per cent year-on-year to 15,203.
According to the statistics office, on top of the decline in marriages, more people postponed their weddings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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