Childbirths in South Korea grew for the sixth straight month in September amid government efforts to raise the country’s chronically low birthrate, a government report showed Tuesday.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of babies born in September stood at about 37,900, up 2.2 percent, or 800, from the same month a year earlier. This marked the sixth month of increase since April.
The cumulative number of births during the January-September period also edged up 0.1 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.
South Korea has been pushing to raise its birthrate to avoid a decline in the overall working population, increased welfare expenses and damage to its growth potential. The country’s protracted low birthrate has been blamed on people delaying marriage and having fewer children.
The report also showed that about 19,300 couples got married in September, up 0.5 percent, or 100, from a year earlier.
Divorces rose 5.3 percent on-year to 9,900 in September, while the number of deaths came to 21,200, close to a year earlier.
In a separate report, the agency said that the number of people changing their residence in October grew 5.1 percent on-year to about 670,000, the highest level in seven months. (Yonhap)
