South Korea’s Birthrate Rises for Second Straight Year

South Korea’s birthrate — the lowest in the world for years — has risen for a second straight year, offering a glimmer of relief to a country long defined by its demographic decline. In 2025, the total fertility rate increased to 0.80, up from 0.75 in 2024 and 0.72 in 2023, while the number of babies born climbed 6.8 percent to 254,500, according to official data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The gain marks the largest annual increase in births in 18 years. Yet even with the rebound, South Korea remains far below the 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration. For a nation of 51 million, the uptick is more a pause in a long slide than a demographic turnaround.

A Rebound After Years of Steep Decline

South Korea’s demographic crisis has been years in the making. The country’s fertility rate peaked at 1.24 in 2015, when 438,420 babies were born. What followed was an eight-year descent. By 2023, the fertility rate had fallen to 0.72, the lowest among advanced economies.

The modest recovery began in 2024, when births rose to 238,000 and the fertility rate ticked up to 0.75. The increase accelerated in 2025, with births reaching 254,500 — an increase of 16,100 babies in a single year.

The rise was broad-based. Firstborn children totaled 158,700, up 8.6 percent. Second-born children reached 79,300, a 4.5 percent increase. Births of third or subsequent children also edged upward to 16,300.

Delayed Marriages Fuel a Baby Bump

Officials attribute the recent gains largely to a surge in marriages following the pandemic. Wedding ceremonies postponed during Covid-19 restrictions have since taken place, creating what demographers often describe as a “catch-up” effect.

“Pandemic-delayed marriages have surged, and positive perceptions of childbirth are growing,” said Park Hyun-jung, head of the population trends division at the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Providing further context, another ministry official, Park Hyun-jeong, told journalists: “The number of marriages has been on the rise for 21 consecutive months from April 2024 to December of last year, as couples who postponed their weddings due to the Covid-19 pandemic are now tying the knot.”

South Korea still ties most births to marriage, and single parenthood remains socially stigmatized. The rebound in weddings has therefore translated quickly into more newborns.

The Echo of a Larger Generation

Demographers also point to what they call a “second echo-boom effect.” Women born during relatively stronger birth years in the 1990s are now entering their prime childbearing years. In 2025, the number of women in their 30s rose to about 3.184 million, up from the year before.

This slight demographic swell has expanded the pool of potential mothers, much as a temporary wave passing through a narrow channel can briefly lift the waterline.

But analysts caution that this effect may be short-lived. Cohorts born after the mid-1990s shrank dramatically. Annual births fell from 691,226 in 1996 to around 400,000 by 2002. As these smaller generations age into adulthood, the number of women of childbearing age will decline again, placing renewed downward pressure on births.

Older Mothers, Persistent Pressures

The average age of mothers has continued to rise, reaching 33.8 years in 2025, compared with 32.2 in 2015. The steady increase reflects shifting social norms, expanded educational and career opportunities for women, and economic pressures that encourage couples to delay parenthood.

Despite expanded government support — including financial incentives, childcare assistance and infertility treatment programs — many structural challenges remain. High housing costs, intense job competition and the burden faced by working mothers who shoulder both careers and household responsibilities continue to suppress long-term fertility ambitions.

With a fertility rate of 0.80, South Korea remains the lowest among industrialized nations. Even a sustained annual increase of similar magnitude would leave the country far from population replacement levels.

A Cautious Note of Optimism

For policymakers, the recent data provide cautious encouragement. The sharp 6.8 percent rise in births suggests that behavior can shift under the right social and economic conditions. But the deeper demographic arithmetic remains daunting.

Like a nation attempting to refill a rapidly draining reservoir, South Korea has managed, for now, to slow the outflow. Whether it can reverse it will depend less on temporary surges in weddings and more on sustained changes in how work, family life and social support intersect.

For countries across Asia grappling with aging populations and youth migration, South Korea’s experience underscores a central lesson: demographic decline can pause, even rebound briefly, but reversing it demands structural transformation that extends well beyond short-term incentives.