South Korea has experienced a notable increase in both marriages and births, with the total number of babies born surpassing 190,000 through the third quarter of this year. A steady rise in marriages has also supported this recovery in childbirth.
According to the “Population Trends for September 2025” recent report released by the National Data Office (formerly Statistics Korea), 22,369 babies were born in September, an increase of 1,780 (8.6%) compared to the same month last year.
The rise in births has continued for 15 consecutive months since July 2024, and September’s figure is the highest for that month since 2020, when 23,499 babies were born.
From July to September (Q3), 65,039 babies were born, marking a 6.1% increase (3,767 more babies) compared to the same period last year. While this growth is slightly smaller than last year’s Q3 increase of 4,507, the cumulative total from January to September reached 191,040 births.
This is an increase of 12,488 babies compared to the same period last year, representing the largest growth for January–September in 18 years, since 2007 (31,258 more births).
Based on the continued rise in births and marriages since the second half of last year, there is a growing possibility that the total number of births this year will surpass last year’s 238,317.
The total fertility rate in September—the expected number of children a woman will have in her lifetime—was 0.85, and for the third quarter, it was 0.81, up 0.16 and 0.04, respectively, from last year.
The increase in births was particularly notable among women in their 30s. In Q3, the birth rate for mothers aged 25–29 fell slightly by 0.1, while rates for ages 30–34 rose by 2.4 and ages 35–39 increased by 5.3 compared to the same quarter last year.
Marriages, which often precede childbirth, have also risen for 18 consecutive months since April 2024. In September, 18,462 couples married, an increase of 3,095 (20.1%) from the same month last year. Both the absolute increase and growth rate set a record for September.
For Q3, 58,305 marriages were registered, a 12.8% increase (6,600 more marriages) from last year. The marriage rate grew most among men and women in their early 30s.
From January to September, a cumulative total of 176,178 marriages took place, up 14,417 (8.9%) from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Q3 divorces numbered 22,981, a slight decrease of 104 (0.5%) compared to last year. Q3 deaths totaled 85,051, down 4,479 (5.0%) from the same quarter last year.
Despite the rise in births, South Korea’s overall population continues to decline. The natural population change (births minus deaths) for Q3 was -20,011, marking the 24th consecutive quarter of population decline. However, the rate of decrease has slowed compared to Q1 (-35,874) and Q2 (-23,586).
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