Korea fertility rate

South Korea’s 2025 Birth Rate: What Changed and What It Means

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A young Korean couple holding a newborn, with Seoul apartment buildings in the background.

South Korea’s birth rate rose again in 2025. For a country that has recorded the world’s lowest fertility rate for several years, this change deserves attention. In 2025, about 254,500 babies were born in South Korea. That was 6.8 percent more than in 2024. The total fertility rate rose from 0.75 in 2024 to 0.80 … Read more

The Unequal Ecology of Marriage and Motherhood in South Korea

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South Korea’s low birth rate is often described as a national crisis. That phrase is not wrong, but it can make the issue sound too abstract. Behind the statistics are private decisions made in small rooms: whether to marry, whether to have a child, whether to risk a career break, whether to buy a home, … Read more