Seoul:The number of babies born in South Korea surged by 13 percent in August compared to the previous year, marking the 26th consecutive month of increase, as per government data released on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 23,703 babies were born in August, an increase from 20,983 in the same month last year. This figure represents the highest number of births for any August since 2019, when 24,371 births were recorded.

The country's total fertility rate, which is the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, increased by 0.09 from the previous year to 0.87 in August. However, this rate remains significantly below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, which is needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

The upward trend in births has been ongoing since July 2024. For the period from January to August, 193,783 babies were born, reflecting a 14.5 percent rise from the previous year and the highest figure for this period since 2019.

The increase in births coincides with a growing number of marriages, an increase in the population of individuals in their 30s, and a more positive attitude toward having children. However, the number of marriages in August slightly decreased by 1.2 percent from the previous year to 19,218, while divorces rose by 4.4 percent to 7,510.

Additionally, the number of deaths increased by 4.9 percent from the previous year to 30,308, leading to a natural population decline of 6,605, based on the latest data.