A child uses an umbrella to shelter from the rain in Seoul on Aug 24, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
SEOUL – South Korea's childbirth logged the lowest tally in August, fueling worries about a so-called demographic cliff, statistical office data showed on Wednesday.
The number of newborn babies stood at 22,291 in August, down 0.5 percent from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea.
The number of newborn babies stood at 22,291 in August, down 0.5 percent from a year ago, according to Statistics Korea
It continued to slide for 69 months since December 2015, marking the lowest August reading since data began to be compiled in 1981.
The newborns were on the decline amid the social trend of delayed marriage and the lower number of women who are of childbearing age.
The number of marriages declined 2.1 percent over the year to 14,720 in August, posting the lowest August figure.
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The low birth rate boosted concerns about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.
The number of divorces slipped 0.9 percent to 8,376 in August on a yearly basis.
The number of deaths increased 2.1 percent to 25,821 in the month. Given the death growth and the childbirth fall, the country's population kept skidding for 22 straight months since November 2019.
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