Goyang City Achieves Birth Rate Rebound... 'Housing, Care, and Youth' Policies Prove Effective

Goyang City Records a Total Fertility Rate of 0.75 in 2025

All-Time High in Rental Loan Interest Support for Childbearing Households

Lowering Eligibility Barriers and Expanding Care Hours

Building a Child-Friendly City... Customized Policies Deliver Noticeable Results

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) has continued the rebound in its birth rate through customized childbirth and parenting policies aimed at reducing housing and childcare burdens. The city is accelerating the creation of a sustainable environment for childbirth and child-rearing by organically linking housing stability, care support, and youth policies.

2026 Multi-Child Merit Award. Provided by Goyang City

According to Goyang Special City on March 20, the number of births in Goyang last year increased by 3.5% compared to the previous year. As of February this year, the number of applicants for childbirth subsidies rose by 126, up 14% from the same period last year. The total fertility rate, which had declined from 0.787 in 2022 to 0.695 in 2023, rebounded to 0.724 in 2024, and according to the preliminary figures from Statistics Korea, it further increased to 0.750 in 2025.

To maintain this rebound, the city has increased the childbirth support budget by 2.4 billion won compared to the previous year, allocating a total of 23.1 billion won, and plans to strengthen practical support policies that citizens can truly feel.

In June last year, comedian Joori Jung was awarded a commendation for promoting childbirth. Provided by Goyang City.

All-Time High in Rental Loan Interest Support... Easing Housing Costs for Childbearing Households Without Homes

The city is implementing the "Childbearing Households Rental Housing Loan Interest Support Program" to address housing stability, a core issue in tackling low birth rates. This year, the program has received the highest number of applications since its inception, with 1,499 households applying, reflecting strong public interest.

Through this program, the city supports up to 1 million won per year in loan interest for childbearing households without homes. The initiative is designed to ease the housing cost burden for households without homes, with incomes at or below 150% of the median, who have taken out loans for rental deposits, enabling them to settle stably in Goyang. Since 2021, when the city became the first in the nation to enact an ordinance on this matter, a total of 4,431 households have benefited from the program as of 2025.

From this year, the city has eased the eligibility requirements by amending the ordinance. Even if applicants do not initially meet the requirements, they can reapply once they qualify within a certain period, thereby lowering the threshold so that more households can benefit.

The city is currently reviewing the income and eligibility of applicants, and the final results will be individually notified at the end of April.

Youth Employee Networking Day 'Cheongchun Toktok'. Provided by Goyang City

Expanding Multi-Child and Childcare Support... Creating a Child-Friendly Environment

Policies to reduce the burdens of care and parenting are also being expanded.

The city has institutionalized the "Multi-Child Merit Award" for families with five or more children, promoting a culture of social respect for multi-child families. By sharing the stories of these families through mayoral commendations and support from local agricultural cooperatives, the city is working to foster a childbirth-friendly social atmosphere.

Additionally, starting this year, the income eligibility for childcare support for dual-income families has been raised from 200% or less of the median income to 250% or less. As a result, the support now covers middle-class dual-income households that were previously excluded, allowing for broader and stronger childcare assistance.

Support networks for vulnerable groups are also being reinforced. The government-supported care hours for single-parent and grandparent-grandchild households will be expanded from 960 hours per year to 1,080 hours, aiming to establish a more comprehensive care system.

Agreement Ceremony for Issuance Support Project of Baby Savings Accounts Celebrating Birth between Goyang Special City and Goyang Eastern Saemaeul Geumgo. Provided by the City of Goyang

Youth Policies and Public-Private Cooperation... Building a Sustainable Population Policy Foundation

Goyang City is also pursuing policies that combine expanded youth exchange and public-private cooperation to establish a sustainable foundation for population policies.

Since last year, the city has been running the youth networking program "Cheongchun Toktok" in collaboration with Goyang Nonghyup and Goyang Dongbu Saemaeul Geumgo. This program is a prime example of supporting communication and relationship-building among young people. Unmarried young employees participate in team-building activities, communication lectures, and policy discussions, sharing their concerns from daily life and the workplace while building cooperative relationships.

Furthermore, since 2020, the "Birth Celebration Baby Account Issuance Support Project," conducted in partnership with Goyang Dongbu Saemaeul Geumgo, has become a key public-private cooperation initiative to encourage childbirth. Under this program, when a newborn’s account is opened, a congratulatory gift of 100,000 won is provided. As of the end of December last year, more than 3,500 newborns had opened accounts, reflecting steady public engagement.

The city plans to focus its policy capabilities on organically linking housing, care, and youth policies to reduce the burdens of childbirth and parenting, while continuously expanding population policies that citizens can tangibly experience.

Mayor Lee Donghwan of Goyang Special City stated, "We are supporting a wide range of childbirth and parenting policies so that citizens can experience the joy of raising children without the burden of care," adding, "We will work to create a sustainable childbirth environment by organically connecting housing stability, enhanced care, and youth policies."

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