Photo: EPAThere were five new births per 1,000 people last year, up from 4.7 in 2024. That compared with 4.6 in Taiwan last year, 5.6 in China last year and 5.7 in Japan in 2024, where the trend remains downward. Hallym University sociology professor Shin Kyung-ah said the data needed more scrutiny because of statistical effects such as population composition changes. In a biennial government survey in 2024, 52.5 percent of South Koreans expressed positive views about marriage, up from 50.1 percent in 2022. Last year, new births rose 6.8 percent to 254,457, the biggest percentage rise since 2007, while deaths rose 1.3 percent to 363,389, resulting in the population shrinking for the sixth consecutive year.

Source: Taipei Times February 25, 2026 17:47 UTC