South Korea Invests Heavily in Childbirth Promotion; Opinions Divided on Sustainability of Mini Baby Boom
South Korea, facing one of the world's lowest birth rates, has invested significantly to encourage childbirth, leading to a small rebound in newborn numbers. However, experts hold differing views on the underlying causes and sustainability of this 'mini baby boom'.
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- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 15:23
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Seoul, May 10, comprehensive foreign report) South Korea has one of the world's lowest birth rates, and the government has invested heavily in recent years to encourage citizens to have more children, hoping to mitigate the impact of population shrinkage.
According to Agence France-Presse, after years of continuous low figures, the number of newborns in South Korea has finally seen a slight rebound, but experts hold differing views on the reasons behind this mini baby boom.
Kim Su-jin, 32, a freelance music industry worker, welcomed her daughter's birth last January, despite concerns about her financial situation four years into her marriage.
She told AFP that she set aside worries about housing, schooling, and work, "because we believe (having a child) will bring us happiness."
South Korea's birth rate fell to a historic low in 2023, then began to rebound, with the monthly number of births continuously growing compared to the same period of the previous year.
According to statistics department data, nearly 23,000 babies were born in February, the highest number for that month in seven years.
The 13.6% year-on-year increase was the largest February increase since records began in 1981.
Hong Sok-chul, an economics professor at Seoul National University, said the relevant measures were "quite effective."
Hong Sok-chul said: "The government is not trying to force marriage or childbirth... but focusing on reducing direct and indirect costs to make these choices more reasonable."
Kim Woo-jin, 33, said the vouchers she received from the government "played an important role in alleviating the financial burden of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare."
Kim Woo-jin mentioned that when her daughter was born last year, she received a 2 million Korean won (approximately NT$44,000) subsidy, a 1 million Korean won (approximately NT$22,000) voucher for delivery expenses, and subsidies for transportation and postpartum care.
This office worker stated: "I believe (national subsidies) have greatly improved... playing a role in the recent rebound in the birth rate."
South Korea also pays parents 1 million Korean won (approximately NT$22,000) per month in childcare subsidies for the first year after a child's birth. Other policies include low-interest loans for young families to buy homes, expanded parental leave, and subsidized fertility treatment costs.
Some companies also offer high bonuses to employees with children, but for some couples, these incentives have had little effect.
Freelancer Kim Su-jin said the government's support "actually... provides limited substantial assistance."
She told AFP that "the problem is not just a few million won," citing wider social issues such as exorbitant tutoring fees, prevalent school bullying, and the threat of unemployment brought by artificial intelligence.
Lee Sang-lim, a demographer also from Seoul National University, said it was "difficult" to conclude that the latest policies led to the rebound in birth rates. He pointed out that several measures were only implemented in early 2024, less than nine months before the significant growth appeared.
He said that policies aimed at raising birth rates over more than a decade might have played a role in improving the environment for fertility and childcare.
South Korea's average number of children per woman rebounded from 0.75 last year to 0.8, but it is still far below the 2.1 threshold needed to maintain the population.
There are various theories about this mini baby boom, and questions about its longevity.
Park Hyun-jung, an official from the Data and Statistics Department, stated in February that the rebound in births partly reflects an "echo effect" from the larger generation born in the early 1990s, who are currently in their peak childbearing years.
Traditional prejudices among the younger generation against out-of-wedlock births also appear to have decreased; according to official data, the number of babies born out of wedlock almost doubled between 2002 and 2024.
Nevertheless, babies born out of wedlock in 2024 accounted for only 5.8% of the total.
Lee Sang-lim said that the recent rebound is mainly driven by postponed marriages and childbearing during the pandemic, but he added that the generation born in the 1990s seems "more family-oriented."
He stated, "It is difficult to define this as a demographic turning point." He also warned that once this generation passes its peak childbearing years, the number of births could "rapidly" decline again.
Hong Sok-chul said, "Continued active policy support will be necessary." "While the current rebound is positive, it is still insufficient for long-term population replacement." (Compiler: Qu Xiang-ping) 1150510
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(Central News Agency, Seoul, May 10, comprehensive foreign report) South Korea has one of the world's lowest birth rates, and the government has invested heavily in recent years to encourage citizens to have more children, hoping to mitigate the impact of population shrinkage.
According to Agence France-Presse, after years of continuous low figures, the number of newborns in South Korea has finally seen a slight rebound, but experts hold differing views on the reasons behind this mini baby boom.
Kim Su-jin, 32, a freelance music industry worker, welcomed her daughter's birth last January, despite concerns about her financial situation four years into her marriage.
She told AFP that she set aside worries about housing, schooling, and work, "because we believe (having a child) will bring us happiness."
South Korea's birth rate fell to a historic low in 2023, then began to rebound, with the monthly number of births continuously growing compared to the same period of the previous year.
According to statistics department data, nearly 23,000 babies were born in February, the highest number for that month in seven years.
The 13.6% year-on-year increase was the largest February increase since records began in 1981.
Hong Sok-chul, an economics professor at Seoul National University, said the relevant measures were "quite effective."
Hong Sok-chul said: "The government is not trying to force marriage or childbirth... but focusing on reducing direct and indirect costs to make these choices more reasonable."
Kim Woo-jin, 33, said the vouchers she received from the government "played an important role in alleviating the financial burden of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare."
Kim Woo-jin mentioned that when her daughter was born last year, she received a 2 million Korean won (approximately NT$44,000) subsidy, a 1 million Korean won (approximately NT$22,000) voucher for delivery expenses, and subsidies for transportation and postpartum care.
This office worker stated: "I believe (national subsidies) have greatly improved... playing a role in the recent rebound in the birth rate."
South Korea also pays parents 1 million Korean won (approximately NT$22,000) per month in childcare subsidies for the first year after a child's birth. Other policies include low-interest loans for young families to buy homes, expanded parental leave, and subsidized fertility treatment costs.
Some companies also offer high bonuses to employees with children, but for some couples, these incentives have had little effect.
Freelancer Kim Su-jin said the government's support "actually... provides limited substantial assistance."
She told AFP that "the problem is not just a few million won," citing wider social issues such as exorbitant tutoring fees, prevalent school bullying, and the threat of unemployment brought by artificial intelligence.
Lee Sang-lim, a demographer also from Seoul National University, said it was "difficult" to conclude that the latest policies led to the rebound in birth rates. He pointed out that several measures were only implemented in early 2024, less than nine months before the significant growth appeared.
He said that policies aimed at raising birth rates over more than a decade might have played a role in improving the environment for fertility and childcare.
South Korea's average number of children per woman rebounded from 0.75 last year to 0.8, but it is still far below the 2.1 threshold needed to maintain the population.
There are various theories about this mini baby boom, and questions about its longevity.
Park Hyun-jung, an official from the Data and Statistics Department, stated in February that the rebound in births partly reflects an "echo effect" from the larger generation born in the early 1990s, who are currently in their peak childbearing years.
Traditional prejudices among the younger generation against out-of-wedlock births also appear to have decreased; according to official data, the number of babies born out of wedlock almost doubled between 2002 and 2024.
Nevertheless, babies born out of wedlock in 2024 accounted for only 5.8% of the total.
Lee Sang-lim said that the recent rebound is mainly driven by postponed marriages and childbearing during the pandemic, but he added that the generation born in the 1990s seems "more family-oriented."
He stated, "It is difficult to define this as a demographic turning point." He also warned that once this generation passes its peak childbearing years, the number of births could "rapidly" decline again.
Hong Sok-chul said, "Continued active policy support will be necessary." "While the current rebound is positive, it is still insufficient for long-term population replacement." (Compiler: Qu Xiang-ping) 1150510
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.