South Korea’s birth rate increases for first time in a decade… along with marriages

South Korea’s birth rate has risen for the first time since 2015, with 238,300 babies born in 2024 — a jump of 8,300 from the previous year. This increase has brought the country’s fertility rate up to 0.75, up from a record low of 0.72 in 2023, according to data from Statistics Korea. While still the lowest in the world, this shift signals hope amid South Korea’s ongoing demographic crisis.

“It’s fair to say this is a considerably meaningful rebound,” Choi Yoon Kyung, an expert at the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, stated. “We still have to see figures in the next few years to find whether it was a temporary rebound or it was driven by structural changes.”

Experts point to a 14.9% increase in marriages in 2024, the largest increase since 1970, as a key factor behind the surge. Many couples who delayed marriage during the COVID-19 pandemic are now starting families, while a rising number of people in their early 30s are getting married and having children.

“There was a change in social value, with more positive views about marriage and childbirth,” Park Hyun-jung, an official at Statistics Korea, said.

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Government efforts to reverse the low birth rate include financial incentives, housing assistance, and childcare support. In one striking example, a South Korean city in 2021 offered married couples nearly $100,000 to have more children in an effort to bolster its shrinking population. Alongside these policy initiatives, a cultural shift is emerging, with more young people expressing a desire to have children. However, the effects of decades-long population control measures — such as sterilization campaigns — continue to shape societal attitudes toward family life.

Live Action News previously reported that after the Korean War ended in 1953, South Korea’s population doubled, prompting the government to implement aggressive population control measures. During the 1970s and 1980s, authorities heavily promoted family planning policies, pressuring couples to undergo sterilization and encouraging a one-child norm. Today, many young adults feel forced to choose between building a successful career and raising a family, with many prioritizing their professional aspirations over parenthood.

Despite this progress, challenges remain. The birth rate in Seoul is still just 0.58, and the overall population is declining. Stark reminders of the crisis persist—such as an island in South Korea where only three school-aged children remain.

South Korea’s aging population poses significant economic risks, with experts warning of a shrinking workforce and higher healthcare costs. In response, the South Korean government has set a goal of increasing the fertility rate to 1.0 by 2030. Whether this target is achievable remains uncertain, but for the first time in nearly a decade, there is cautious optimism that South Korea may be taking the first steps toward reversing its demographic decline.

South Korea’s struggle serves as a cautionary tale of the long-term consequences of aggressive population control policies. Decades after sterilization campaigns and restrictive family planning measures, the country is now facing  a monumental crisis—one that will take years, if not generations, to undo.