South Korea records 24,275 births in July, extending two-year rise

South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics reported 24,275 births in July, surpassing the 21,854 recorded a year earlier and exceeding any July total since 2019. This increase continues a streak of 25 months with higher birth counts, a trend that started in July 2024. From January through July, the country saw 170,079 births, up 14.7 percent from the same period last year, the strongest performance since 2019.

The total fertility rate rose to 0.89, remaining well below the 2.1 needed for population stability. Contributing factors include a rise in marriages, an expanding cohort of people in their 30s, and more favorable attitudes toward childbearing. Meanwhile, divorces fell slightly and deaths grew by 3 percent, resulting in a net population decline of 4,647.