After nearly a decade of birth rate in continuous decline, South Korea reversed that trend in 2024 to report a significant increase in newborns.
A total of 238.300 infants were born last year, declared by the government -run statistics Korea agency on 26 February, in 2023, a record of just 230,000 was at least 3.6%.
And while the growth is certainly the basis for a celebration in a nation that is recognized as one of the fastest contract and aging in the world, analysts take precautions that the rebound is the result of a series of unique factors and that the longer outlook is foggy.
“South Korea’s population crisis is still beginning,” said Hybin Lee, a professor at Soong University in Seoul.
“With the total fertility rate which is still below 1.0, the situation is very serious and I believe fewer people will choose children in the future,” he told DW. “Gender conflicts are very intense and economic inequality is deteriorating.”
According to Statistics Korea, the country’s total fertility rate, or the average number of children that will give birth during her lifetime, increased from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 in 2024. Nevertheless, this figure is still required to maintain a stable population that is still a shortage of 2.1 children per woman.
Spike in weddings
The increase in newborns in 2024 occurred with a sharp increase in weddings in South Korea, with the number of marriages left 14.9%, the biggest growth since comparative figures was first in 1970.
Speaking at a press briefing in Seoul on 26 February, the President of the President’s Committee on an aging society and the population policy said that the rebound is “the country’s Lothrate’s long-standing trend, which suggests that the policies have started an impact and the public.
Last year, President Yun Suk-Yol announced that the nation was facing a “demographic crisis” and pledged that it would be the top priority for his government. The initiative by the previous governments focused the primary focus on the one-half cash payment to the parents, with the amount with the amount.
For many people of a country where the cost of home and education is high, it was not enough for an incentive for large families.
The government – a conservative who is now on a test for the alleged abuse of the office – replaced the law to companies to pay a new parents’ full salary, which takes time for a maximum of six months after the birth of a child. This is three months ago.
The period is extended to 18 months if both parents take the lewway from their jobs, before one year.
Companies forced help
From this year, it is mandatory for listed companies to provide details of their child and parents-friendly policies in regulatory filing, in which the employees are eligible to claim grant to support their operations with small and medium-sized firms that employees are on leave of parents.
The government is expecting 19.7 trillion Korean Von (€ 12.9 billion, $ 13.5 billion) for additional support for the family, up to 22% from last year, including low work hours for parents for two years and a holiday has been paid to undergo breeding treatment.
Nevertheless, analysts are unrelated.
Park Syeing-in for Economists of Seoul National University said, “There was a change in the trends of both marriages and births that I believe that during the Koronwirus epidemic reflects what we saw in the figures.”
“I don’t think it represents a fundamental change, because in the last 30 years, we have seen that the number of people is cutting the wedding in half,” he told DW. “It has had a major impact on social issues, from employer rates to income, it is a structural issue for South Korean society.”
The nation has influenced the birthday figures by such traditional approaches, including a stigma associated with children born to Vartock and single mother.
Other major factors affect the couples’ decisions, essentially, the cost, the park said.
“Cradle to a child is very expensive in South Korea,” said. He said, “The cost of living is high, housing in big cities is expensive and education is an important factor.” “Given, after this recovery from the epidemic, I hope the birth rate will return to fall in one or a year.”
Post-pandemic rebound?
Professor Lee agrees, indicating that many weddings during the epidemics were closed, but are now happening, accounting to increase marriages. Similar interpretation can be applied for the number of children.
“Another contribution factor is an increase in international marriage,” she said. “In 2023, what is one of every 10 married couples in South Korea, and the birth rate between internally married couples is higher than the Korean couples.”
Lee suggested, “To make the birth rate more durable in the long term, the government should implement the same policies in France where the parents are requested to take leave,” Lee suggested.
He said, “One of the main reasons women choose, who do not do children, their career is more of disruption.” “Companies are reluctant to appoint women due to concerns over maternity leave and childcare responsibilities. However, if men are expected to take on childcare responsibilities, the gender difference in employment will decrease.”
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru