The number of births in January this year was 26,916. This is the highest in seven years since 2019 (30,271). The number of births has been increasing for 19 consecutive months since July 2024.
According to the "January 2026 population trends" that the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) released on the 25th, the number of births in January was 26,916, up 11.7% (2,817) from the same month a year earlier. The growth rate was the second largest on record for January.
The total fertility rate in January (the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime) was 0.99, up 0.1 from the same month a year earlier. The total fertility rate is almost at 1.
In the same month, there were 22,640 marriages, an increase of 12.4% (2,489) from a year earlier. The number of marriages was the highest since January 2018 (24,370). Since the institutionalization of the special exception allowing same-surname, same-clan marriages in 1997, the increases were the third largest after ▲January 2007 (25.1%) ▲2023 (21.5%).
In addition, the number of deaths was 32,454, up 17.6%. The population, calculated by subtracting deaths from births, showed a "natural decrease" of 5,539. Divorces totaled 7,208, up 4.2%.
In January, different patterns also appeared in births by city and province and in "natural increase" (births minus deaths). Compared with a year earlier, births increased in all cities and provinces except Sejong. An official at the data agency said, "This is interpreted as a base effect from the previously strong growth in Sejong."
Also, four cities and provinces—Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Sejong—recorded a "natural increase." This contrasts with the recent period when Sejong was the only region nationwide showing a natural increase. In particular, it was the first time since 2021 that Seoul and Incheon recorded a natural increase.