A nearly six-year streak of declining births continued in August, hitting a new low, though the rate of decrease eased up.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, 22-thousand-291 babies were born in August, down 111, or zero-point-five percent, from a year earlier.

While the on-year decline continued for the 69th month, August had the slimmest rate of decrease since the agency began compiling related data in 1981.

An official said the decline in births has slowed this year, with the birth rate among women aged 35 or older rising in the second quarter, along with births in major cities.

The number of deaths, meanwhile, rose two-point-one percent on-year to 25-thousand-821. With deaths outnumbering births by three-thousand-530, the natural population decline continued for a 22nd month.