Natural Population Decline for 6 Months... April Births Reach Record Low

Statistics Korea Announces April Population Trends

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyun-jung] As the number of births continues to decline, the domestic population has shown a natural decrease for six consecutive months since November last year. If the phenomenon of postponing or avoiding marriage and childbirth due to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the rate of decline is expected to increase further.

According to the 'April Population Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the number of births in April this year was 23,420, a 10.4% decrease compared to the same month last year. This is the lowest figure since statistics began to be compiled in April 1981.

The number of births has been declining for 53 consecutive months from December 2015 to April this year. Since April 2016, the monthly figures have been setting new record lows compared to the previous year.

During the same period, the number of deaths increased by 3.3% to 24,628, resulting in a total population decrease of 1,208. Accordingly, the negative record of natural increase (births minus deaths) that began in November last year has continued for six months.

The number of marriages reported in April was 15,670, a sharp drop of 21.8% compared to the previous year. The decrease was largely influenced by two fewer reporting days compared to the same month last year and the postponement of weddings or marriage registrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of divorces was 9,259, a 2.9% decrease.

An official from Statistics Korea explained, "The number of births is expected to continue its downward trend for the time being, and due to the effects of aging, the number of deaths is expected to increase. Therefore, the possibility of a natural decrease on an annual basis this year is increasing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.