The number of parental leave declines for the first time due to sharp drop in births.

As the number of births plummeted, the number of parental leave, which had been on the rise every year, fell for the first time.

Statistics Korea said more than 195,900 children who are 8 years old or under the second grade of elementary school started parental leave last year, down 3% from a year ago.

It is the first time that the number of parental leave has decreased since 2010 when related statistics were provided.

Statistics Korea explained that the number of people under the age of 8 fell 6.5% last year from a year ago and that the base effect of the surge in parental leave a year ago was due to a decrease in the number of people taking parental leave, but the rate of parental leave continues to increase.

Among those on paternity leave, fathers accounted for 25.7 percent, down from a year ago, and mothers accounted for 74.3 percent. That's three times as much as fathers.

By company size, 70% of father's parental leave and 58.2% of mother's parental leave were large companies with more than 300 employees.

In Korea, parents with children under the age of 8 or the second grade of elementary school can apply for parental leave.

When looking at parents who gave birth in 2014 and had only one child until last year, mothers used 83.5% of their children when they were 0 years old.

Dad used the most parental leave between the ages of 6 and 7 for his children.