20,098 babies born in August...Born for 2 consecutive months ↑ Married for 5 months ↑

[Anchor]
The number of births exceeded 20,000 in August, increasing for the second month in a row.

Marriage increased by 20%, continuing its five-month increase.

Connect reporters.

Reporter Oh In-seok, please tell me the details.

[Reporter]
The National Statistical Office said the number of births stood at 20,098 in August, up 1,124 from a year ago and 5.9 percent.

In the last five months, the number of births has increased in every month except last June.

The number increased by 521 in April from a year ago, followed by 514 in May and 1,516 in July.

It is analyzed that many first babies were born as marriages, which were postponed due to COVID-19, were concentrated from August 2022 to March of the following year.

The National Statistical Office said the number of births rose by 691 in the second quarter and is likely to rise in the third quarter. If this trend continues in the second half of the year, the annual number of births could be positive for the first time in a decade since 2014.

As the number of births has increased for two consecutive months, some observers say that it is possible to rebound in the total fertility rate, which has fallen to the 0.70-per-year range.

There were 17,527 marriages in August, an increase of 2,917 and 20% from a year ago.

The number of marriages has continued to rise for five months, with the number of marriages rising 33% in July.

It is analyzed that the number of marriages in their early 30s, the age of marriage, has increased significantly.

The government believes that the effect of the policy to reduce the so-called "marriage penalty" has affected the increase in marriages.

According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 men and women conducted by the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee, 65.4% of unmarried respondents said they are "planning to get married specifically or want to get married someday."

This is 4.4 percentage points higher than the survey in March.The number of deaths increased due to the aging population of

and the population fell naturally by 12,146 in August.

I'm YTN's Oh In-seok.