South Korea birth rate rises for 1st time in 9 years; marriages surge

The country's 0.75 fertility rate for 2024 was still the world's lowest

20250226 South Korea birth rate file photo

More positive views about marriage and childbirth, a rise in the number of people in their early 30s and pandemic delays all helped South Korea slow its approach to a demographic cliff. (Photo by Saki Hayashi)

SEOUL (Reuters) -- South Korea's fertility rate rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, supported by an increase in marriages, preliminary data showed on Wednesday, in a sign that the country's demographic crisis might have turned a corner.

The country's fertility rate, the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life, stood at 0.75 in 2024, according to Statistics Korea.

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