Anchor: The number of babies born in the country surged more than eight percent on-year in April, posting growth for the tenth consecutive month. The government has cautiously forecast that if such an uptick continues, the nation’s total fertility rate could reach zero-point-80 this year. Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: Statistics Korea announced on Wednesday that 20-thousand-717 babies were born in April. 

The number of newborns posted growth for the tenth consecutive month after climbing eight-point-seven percent compared to the same period last year, 

The eight-point-seven percent jump was the highest on-year April increase in 34 years. 

The statistics agency attributed the increase to the surge in the number of marriages and the population of women in their 30s.

Meanwhile, the total fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime, rose by zero-point-06 to zero-point-79 in April. 

The upward trend prompted a senior government official to give a cautiously optimistic outlook for the whole year.

Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chair of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, said during a meeting with civil servants that if the positive trend of more babies being born continues, the nation’s total fertility rate could top zero-point-79 to reach zero-point-80 this year.

Earlier in February, Joo had initially forecast that the nation’s fertility rate will reach the same figures at around 2026. 

South Korea’s total fertility rate rebounded for the first time in nine years in 2024 to stand at zero-point-75. Still, it lags far behind the average for OECD nations, which stands at one-point-51.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.