The nation’s total fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime, climbed zero-point-05 on-year in February to stand at zero-point-82. 

Statistics Korea revealed the figure on Wednesday in a report on population trends for the month of February. 

The nation’s total fertility rate has remained in the zero-point-eight range this year, having reached zero-point-88 in January. 

The number of babies born in February posted 20-thousand-35, up three-point-two percent from the same period last year. 

It was the first increase in births for the month of February since 2014.