Story perspectives

South Korea births jump 6.7% in 2025

8/29/2026

Summary

South Korea Birth Surge

South Korea recorded 254,300 births in 2025, a 6.7% rise over 2024.
The total fertility rate climbed to 0.80 in 2025, the first time above 0.8 since 2021.
June 2025 saw 23,111 births, up 15.6% from June 2024, the highest June total since 2019.
Women aged 35-39 posted a record birth rate of 52.1 per 1,000 in 2025.

Summary

Japan Resident Surge

Japan’s foreign resident population reached a record 4 million, up 354,000, easing chronic labor shortages.
The government expanded child allowances and family-support programs to counter the shrinking domestic workforce.
Deaths in Jan-Jun 2026 totaled 778,982, creating a natural decrease of 436,914.
Births by Japanese nationals fell to 671,236 in 2025, the tenth consecutive year of record lows.
Marriages rose by 418 to 238,979 while divorces fell by 3,578 to 90,177.

History

Historical Context

The 1997 Asian financial crisis, which plunged South Korea’s economy and drove Seoul’s total fertility rate to a historic low of 1.0, reshaped demographic trends. The Korean Ministry of Health recorded a 15% birth drop between 1998 and 2002, and the OECD cited Japan’s fertility falling below 1.3 in 1999. Today, South Korea’s 2025 birth surge to 254,300 and Japan’s 2026 foreign resident record of four million echo the post-crisis push for population recovery. Policymakers now expand child allowances and immigration reforms, hoping to avert the labor shortages that once deepened economic stagnation after the 1997 downturn.

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South Korea Birth Surge

South Korea recorded 254,300 births in 2025, a 6.7% rise over 2024.
The total fertility rate climbed to 0.80 in 2025, the first time above 0.8 since 2021.
June 2025 saw 23,111 births, up 15.6% from June 2024, the highest June total since 2019.
Women aged 35-39 posted a record birth rate of 52.1 per 1,000 in 2025.

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