The birthrate, which had been plummeting endlessly, rebounded for the first time in nine years. The rebound in last year's birthrate (0.75 children) was driven by women in their 30s.
According to the '2024 Birth Statistics' released by the Statistics Korea on the 27th, the average number of babies expected to be born to one woman over her lifetime is 0.75, an increase of 0.03 (3.8%) from the previous year.
By age, the increase in births among mothers in their 30s was notable. The number of newborns from mothers in their early 30s increased by 8,200, while that from mothers in their late 30s rose by 2,800. In contrast, the proportion of mothers aged 35 and older decreased to 35.9%.
There is also a growing atmosphere of 'having children soon after marriage.' The proportion of those having children within two years of marriage increased by 1.1 percentage points (p) to 35%. Of firstborns, 52.6% were born within two years after marriage, an increase of 0.5%p from the previous year.
The average age of fathers at childbirth remained unchanged at 36.1 years. However, the proportion of fathers in their early 20s hit an all-time low, while the proportion of fathers aged 50 and older reached an all-time high, reflecting the trend of late marriage.
Last year, the number of multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) also increased to 13,500, up by 800 from the previous year. They accounted for 5.7% of total births. The average age of mothers of multiple births was 35.3 years, 1.7 years older than mothers of single births. Notably, the proportion of mothers in their late 30s was the highest at 9%.
There were also changes in the health indicators of newborns. The proportion of preterm infants born before 37 weeks was 10.2%, representing a 1.5-fold increase from ten years ago. For multiple births, the proportion of those born before 37 weeks was as high as 70.8%.
The proportion of low birth weight infants weighing less than 2.5 kg also significantly increased to 7.8% over the past ten years. Most singletons were of normal weight; however, in the case of multiples, 6 out of 10 were born underweight.
Another notable change is the rise in 'births outside of marriage.' The proportion of babies born without marriage reached a record high of 5.8% last year. The Statistics Korea noted that the positive response to 'you can have children without getting married' surged from 21.5% in 2021 to 37.2% in 2024, indicating a shift in perceptions of traditional family structures.