Number of Births in November Last Year Decreased by 7.6%... Population Experiences 49 Consecutive Months of 'Natural Decline'

The Number of Marriages Returns to a Declining Trend Again

Despite the government implementing various low birthrate policies, the number of births in November last year decreased by 7.6% compared to the same month the previous year, marking the 49th consecutive month of natural population decline. Even the number of marriages, which had shown a temporary increase the previous month, returned to a downward trend.

According to the 'November 2023 Population Trends' released by Statistics Korea on the 24th, the number of births in November last year was 17,531, a 7.6% decrease compared to the same month the previous year. The cumulative number of births from January to November last year was 213,572, an 8.1% decrease compared to the same period the previous year.

By major cities, births decreased in 14 metropolitan cities including Seoul and Busan, while three provinces?Chungbuk (596 → 633), Chungnam (755 → 756), and Jeonnam (566 → 584)?showed slight increases. The cumulative number of births from January to November showed a nationwide decline, with Gwangju decreasing by 17.4% and Sejong City by 14.1% compared to the same period last year, while only Chungbuk showed a 1.4% increase.

The number of deaths was 30,255, a 0.3% increase compared to the same month last year, and the 'natural increase'?the number of births minus deaths?in November showed a natural decrease of 12,724. The domestic population has experienced natural decline for 49 consecutive months from November 2019 to November 2023. By region, all provinces except Sejong City experienced natural population decline. Even Sejong City's natural increase rate was only 1.8%.

The number of marriages was 6,695, a 4.4% decrease compared to the same month last year. Although the number of marriages increased by 1.0% in October last year compared to the same month the previous year, it returned to a downward trend after just one month. The cumulative number of marriages from January to November was 176,091, a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Marriages increased by 3.9% in Seoul, 9.4% in Daegu, and 8.3% in Incheon, while Busan saw a 1.4% decrease.

The number of divorces was 7,923, a 6.8% decrease compared to the same month last year. The cumulative number of divorces from January to November was 85,106, a 0.4% decrease compared to the same period last year.

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