Korea’s lowest birthrate for February raises concerns of population problem

[Photo by Kim Ho-young]

South Korea’s population issue is worsening as the number of newborns in February dipped below 20,000, hitting a new record low for the month, fanning concerns across the nation that this year’s total fertility rate may fall below last year’s 0.78, the lowest in the world.

According to demographic trend released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of newborns in February was 19,939, down 3.7 percent year-on-year. The figure is the lowest February figure and the sixth lowest on record since 1981 when monthly statistics began to be compiled.

The dip in the number of newborns is not even consistent with the general trend of the newborn statistics, which top at the beginning of a year and tend to decline. The country has seen a steady downtrend in the number of births, from 357,771 in 2017 to 249,031 in 2022. The figure is likely to hit below the 200,000 mark this year if the trend continues.

Monthly births have been declining for 87 months in a row since December 2015. By region, five provinces and metropolises - Daegu, Incheon, Gangwon, South Jeolla and North Gyeongsang - saw an increase in the number of births from a year before, but the remaining provinces, including Seoul, saw a downtrend. Crude birth rate, which is the number of births per 1,000 people, was 5.1 in February, hitting record low in a year. The figure in last February was 5.3.

Deaths totaled 27,390, falling by 6.5 percent year-on-year. This is believed to be part of the normalization of the death toll after a spike due to Covid. As the number of deaths outpaced that of births, the total population declined naturally by 7,452 in February. The trend of natural decrease has been continuing now for 40 months in a row since November 2019. By region, Daejeon, Gyeonggi Province and Sejong City saw a natural increase, while Seoul and 13 other regions saw a natural decrease.

The number of marriages in February reached 17,846, up 16.6 percent year-on-year, likely driven by the eased social distancing measures and a return to before-Covid.