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Photo courtesy of Happy Married Company |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] South Korea recorded the fastest growth in marriages since statistics were first compiled, along with the highest number of September births in five years, raising expectations of a potential rebound in marriage and fertility trends.
According to the National Data Office’s “September 2025 Population Trends” released on the 26th, the number of marriages in September reached 18,462, a 20.1% increase from a year earlier (15,367). This marks the highest year-on-year growth rate since 1981, when such data collection began. It is also the largest number of September marriages in a decade, since 2015 (19,001).
A National Data Office official explained that the sharp increase was influenced by the absence of the Chuseok holiday in September this year, leading to more marriage registrations, combined with a base effect from last year, when the holiday fell in September.
The number of births in September was 22,369, up 1,780 (8.6%) from the previous year (20,589). This represents the highest September figure since 2020.
South Korea’s annual births had declined for seven consecutive years from 2015 before rising in 2022, falling again in 2023, and rebounding once more in 2024.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths in September stood at 28,101, down 1,136 (3.9%) from a year ago. The country’s natural population change (births minus deaths) remained negative at –5,732, indicating that the trend of natural population decline continues.
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
