South Korea’s number of births in March marked an increase for the first time in 10 years compared to the same month, according to data released by Statistics Korea on the 28th. However, the number of deaths continued to exceed births, maintaining the trend of natural population decline. Marriage registrations, on the other hand, showed a positive sign, reaching the highest figure for March since 2020.
According to the ‘March 2025 Population Trends’ report, 21,041 babies were born in March. This is an increase of 1,347 (6.8%) compared to March of the previous year (19,694). For the month of March, this marks a shift to an increase after a continuous decline since 2015 (34,400). Statistics Korea noted that the monthly number of births has shown a year-on-year increase for nine consecutive months. By province and city, the number of births increased in 13 areas, including Seoul and Busan, while decreasing in four areas, including Ulsan and Sejong.
Despite the increase in births, it is noted that this could be a short-term phenomenon, and the total fertility rate remains at a low level. The total fertility rate in March was recorded at 0.77, an increase of 0.04 from the same month last year.
The number of deaths also saw a slight increase. In March, the number of deaths was 31,141, up 47 (0.2%) from a year ago. By province and city, the number of deaths increased in 10 areas, including Busan and Daegu, while decreasing in seven areas, including Seoul and Incheon.
Consequently, the population experienced a natural decrease as the number of deaths was greater than the number of births. The natural increase (births minus deaths) in March was recorded at -10,100.
A positive indicator emerged from marriage registrations. The number of marriages in March was 19,181, a significant increase of 1,983 cases (11.5%) compared to the same month last year (17,198 cases). This is the highest figure for March since 2020 (18,519 cases). The marriage increase rate is also the third highest on record after March 1988 (15.6%) and March 2023 (18.8%). Conversely, the number of divorces decreased by 239 cases (-3.2%) compared to the same month last year, totaling 7,210 cases.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the number of births in the first quarter of this year (up to March 28) was approximately 869,000. The U.S. has seen a continuous decline in birth and fertility rates over recent decades, particularly a notable decrease in fertility among women under 30. Unlike the temporary increase in South Korea’s March births, the overall trend in the U.S. appears to show no significant change.
