Childbirths rise for 14th month in August: data

The number of babies born in Korea increased for 14 months straight from a year earlier in August, largely due to an increase in marriages, data showed Wednesday. A total of 20,867 babies were born in August, up 3.8 percent from 20,103 babies born a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The number of newborns has been on an upward trend since July of last year. The number of monthly births had remained around 20,000 from January this year but dipped slightly in June. However, the figure increased again in July and August, maintaining the 20,000 level. The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose 0.02 from a year earlier to 0.77 in August. The ministry said a rise in births appears to be influenced by a continued increase in marriages, government policies supporting childbirth and the growth in the population of women in their early 30s. In Korea, where childbirth outside of marriage remains rare, an increase in marriages tends to precede a rise in births. The number of marriages in AuWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times