SEOUL, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The number of babies born in South Korea rose for the 15th straight month, the Ministry of Data and Statistics reported Wednesday, marking a continued respite from the country's looming demographic crisis.
A total of 22,369 babies were born in September, an 8.6% year-on-year increase and the highest number of September births since 2020, the ministry said.
The number of newborns has been on an upward trend since July 2024. September's fertility rate was 0.85, up 0.06 from a year earlier.
Over the first three quarters of the year, 191,040 babies were born, an increase of 12,488 from the same period last year -- the largest on-year gain for the first nine months since 2007.
Related
