Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea rose 6.7 percent on-year to 254,300 in 2025, data showed Wednesday, while the country's fertility rate edged up to 0.8, signaling a possible turning point in the prolonged demographic decline of Asia's No. 4 economy. According to Yonhap News Agency, an annual report by the Ministry of Data and Statistics indicated that the number of births increased by 16,000 from a year earlier, marking the highest figure since 2021 when it was 260,600.

The total fertility rate, which reflects the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, rose by 0.05 to 0.8 during the period. The report detailed a shift in age-specific fertility rates, with women aged 30-34 experiencing a decrease to 73.1 births per 1,000 women, down from 78.9 in 2020. Conversely, the rate for women aged 35-39 increased from 42.3 in 2020 to 52.1 in 2025, while those aged 25-29 saw a decline from 30.6 to 21.2.

The data also highlighted a rise in the average age of women giving birth, which stood at 33.8 in 2025, a slight increase of 0.2 from the previous year. The average age for first-time mothers was 33.2, while it was 34.7 for second-time mothers and 35.8 for those having their third child. Additionally, mothers aged 35 and older constituted 37.3 percent of all births, a rise of 1.4 percentage points from the previous year.

Regionally, South Jeolla Province recorded the highest total fertility rate at 1.09, followed by Sejong at 1.06 and North Chungcheong Province at 0.96. In contrast, Busan's rate stood at 0.74, and Seoul reported the lowest rate at 0.63.