S.Korea's birth rate at record low in Sep

Seoul, Nov 24 (IANS) The number of babies born in South Korea fell in September to a record low since data compilation began in 1981, it was revealed on Wednesday, underscoring the country's bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate.

A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 per cent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reached an all-time low of 66,563, down 3.4 per cent from a year earlier.

South Korea is struggling with a chronic decline in childbirths, as many young people delay and give up on getting married or having babies amid a prolonged economic slowdown and skyrocketing housing prices.

In the July-September period, the country's total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- stood at an all-time low of 0.82, down from 0.84 the previous year and the lowest for any third quarter.

South Korea's total fertility rate hit a record low of 0.84 last year. It marked the third straight year that the rate was below 1 per cent.

The number of deaths, meanwhile, increased for the seventh straight month in September amid rapid aging.

The number of deaths came to 25,566 in the month, up 5 per cent from a year earlier. It marked the highest for any September since 1983, when the agency started compiling related data.

In the third quarter, that of deaths rose 4.7 per cent on-year to 77,077.

Accordingly, the country's population declined by 3,646 in September, marking the 23rd consecutive month of decline.

In the first nine months of the year, the country reported a natural fall of population by 26,204.

South Korea reported the first natural decline in population in 2020, as the number of deaths outpaced that of newborns.

Policymakers warned the country may face an "age quake" in 2030-40, an earthquake-like demographic shock from a fall in population and aging population, if it does not tackle demographic challenges in a timely manner.

Meanwhile, the number of people getting married declined 10.4 percent on-year to 13,733 in September. It was also the lowest for any September.

Amid the downtrend of marriages, more people postponed or delayed their weddings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the statistics office.

Divorces declined 12.3 per cent to 8,366 in the month, the data showed.