CNA South Korea recorded more than 250,000 births in 2025, largest annual increase in 15 years

In South Korea, the number of births last year grew at the fastest pace in 15 years. It’s a happy reversal for a country that has for years posted the lowest birth rate in the world. Provisional government data shows more than 250,000 babies were born last year, up 6.8% from 2024. The total fertility rate is now at 0.8, a slight increase from 2024 but still well under the replacement rate of 2.1. South Korea’s demographic plunge started in 2015, when its already-low fertility rate dived for eight consecutive years to a disastrous 0.72. Experts warned that at that rate, the country’s population would be halved in just 50 or 60 years.

Watch the full video on YouTube