Among the first infants to be born within the new yr are held by their mother and father at a hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. (Yonhap by way of The Korea Herald/Asia Information Community)
South Korea in 2024 noticed 242,334 infants born, marking the primary enhance within the annual determine since 2015, because the nation struggles to enhance its plummeting start fee that’s among the many worst on the planet.
The official determine for childbirths rose by 7,295 from 235,039 in 2023, a 3.1 p.c enhance, in line with the Ministry of the Inside and Security. The nation additionally noticed 360,757 deaths within the yr, ensuing within the total inhabitants shrinking for a fifth straight yr since 2020.
South Korea’s inhabitants stands at 51,217,22, in line with the most recent tally by the ministry.
READ: S. Korea pushes for higher work-life stability to ease falling start fee
Regardless of the continuing inhabitants lower, the annual enhance in childbirths sparks hopes for a turnaround within the nation’s complete fertility fee, referring to the entire variety of births a girl is predicted to provide in her lifetime. The whole fertility fee for Korea has been trending downwards since marking 1.48 in 2000, dipping under the 1 for the primary the primary time in 2018 and marking a report low 0.72 in 2023.
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The federal government has been rolling out collection of measures in a bid to battle the sluggish start fee, starting from increasing monetary incentives for childbirths and state-run youngster care companies to extra advantages for fogeys with a number of kids.
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One of many new insurance policies carried out this yr is a rise to the higher restrict on parental go away funds to 2.5 million gained ($1,700) a month, up from the earlier 1.5 million.
READ: For some, a protracted and unconventional journey to parenthood
Whereas the rebound in childbirths presents a glimpse of hope when it comes to the inhabitants decline, the nation continued to become old. The common age for Koreans in 2024 was 45.3 years previous, up from common age of 44.8 the earlier yr.
Some 17 p.c of Koreans have been of their 50s, adopted by 15.37 p.c of their 60s, 15.08 p.c of their 40s, 12.94 p.c of their 70s, 12.93 p.c of their 30s, 11.63 p.c of their 20s, 9.02 p.c aged 10-19 and 6.13 p.c aged below 10.
The federal government final month mentioned the nation has formally grow to be a superaged society, which the United Nations defines as a rustic the place greater than 20 p.c of the inhabitants is aged 65 or older. As of December, the proportion of senior residents within the nation marked precisely 20 p.c.
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The common age of Koreans has been climbing quickly for years, surpassing 40 years previous in 2014. In keeping with a Statistics Korea report in October, the typical for Koreans is predicted to cross 50 in 2035 and 55 in 2049.