Q3 Births Hit Another Record Low... Population Declines for 23 Consecutive Months

Population Trends in September 2021

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The number of births in the third quarter remained in the 60,000 range, setting another record low. South Korea's population has been naturally declining for 23 consecutive months.

According to the 'September 2021 Population Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the number of births in the third quarter (July-September) was 66,563, a 3.4% (2,337) decrease compared to the same period last year.

The total fertility rate, which represents the average number of children a woman of childbearing age is expected to have in her lifetime, was 0.82, down 0.02 from the same period. By age group, the birth rate for women aged 25-29 was 27.4 (per 1,000 women), down 3.6 from the third quarter last year, and for women aged 30-34, it was 77, down 1.7. In contrast, women aged 35-39 recorded 44.3, up 1.5, and those aged 40 and above recorded 3.8, up 0.2. Overall, this is interpreted as a trend of increasing maternal age.

The number of deaths in the third quarter was 77,077, an increase of 4.7% (3,447) compared to the same period last year.

With births decreasing and deaths increasing, South Korea's population continues to naturally decline. Since November 2019, the natural increase (births minus deaths) has been negative for 23 consecutive months, indicating a steady population decrease.

This year, the natural decrease was 7,039 in the first quarter, 8,651 in the second quarter, and 10,514 in the third quarter, showing a widening gap.

The number of marriages in the third quarter was 44,192, down 6.8% (3,244) from a year earlier. The general marriage rate, calculated by dividing the total number of marriages by the male (female) population aged 15 and over, decreased by 0.6 to 7.8. The largest decreases were seen among men in their early 30s and women in their late 20s.

The number of divorces was 25,048, a 9.8% (2,731) decrease over the same period. By duration of marriage, divorces decreased most significantly among those with a cohabitation period of 4 years or less.

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