Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea shot up nearly 20 percent in March to a seven-year high from 2025 amid a higher number of marriages, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 25,200 babies were born in March, jumping 19.4 percent from a year earlier, indicating a significant rise in the population growth rate.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics revealed that this is the highest number of births recorded since March 2019, when 27,049 babies were born. The trend of increasing newborns has been observed since July 2024, suggesting a positive demographic shift in the country.

During the January-March period, the total number of births reached 75,013, marking a 14.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This figure represents the highest first-quarter birth rate since 2019, highlighting a potential reversal in the declining birth trends seen in previous years.

Despite this upward trend, the country's total fertility rate remains a concern. The average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime rose by 0.15 from the previous year to 0.93 in March. However, this rate is still significantly below the 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without the aid of immigration.

The increase in childbirths corresponds with a rise in the number of marriages. In March, marriages saw a 10.1 percent increase from a year earlier, totaling 21,112. This increase followed a 22-month consecutive rise that was briefly interrupted in February due to the extended Lunar New Year holiday. March's marriage figures are the highest since 2018.

Conversely, the number of divorces also rose, with a 9.4 percent increase to 7,884 cases. The data further indicated a 1.3 percent rise in deaths, totaling 31,423 in March, leading to a natural population decline of 6,224.