South Korea Sees the Biggest Rise in Births in 18 Years
- Eunyo Hwang
- Nov 19
- 1 min read
Nov 19, 2025
Eunyo Hwang
For the first time in nearly two decades, South Korea’s birth numbers are showing an unprecedented rise. According to the National Data Agency, the number of newborns between January and August in 2025 reached 168,617 which increased by 6.8% from the same period last year. This record is the biggest rise South Korea has seen in 18 years.
In August, 20,867 babies were born, 764 more than the previous year. Noticeably, the nation’s total fertility rate also increased up to about 0.77. Notwithstanding the fact that the rate is still one of the lowest in the world, the change signals a rare moment of growth after fertility stagnation and indicates a possible recovery of it. Experts claim that social stability after pandemic and new government encouragement for parents might have helped the situation.
Birth rate increased in major cities and provinces, including Seoul and Busan. The proportion of first-born children rose to 62.9% contributed by young couples starting families. Interestingly, the number of marriages grew by 11%, which marked the highest in eight years, while divorces dropped to their lowest level in 17 years.
Although the experts speculate that the increase might be temporary and is modest, it offers optimism to a nation that had long been troubled by its low birth rate record. For now, South Korea is expecting more newborns than it has in years.
