S.Korea's childbirth logs lowest August figure

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's childbirth logged the lowest August figure, keeping a downward trend for 81 months in a row, statistical office data showed on Wednesday.

The number of newborn babies was 21,758 in August, down 2.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest August number since data began to be compiled in 1983.

The newborns have been on the decline since December 2015 amid the continued social trend of delayed marriage and the lower number of women who are of childbearing age.

The low birth rate fueled concerns about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.

The number of marriages rose 6.8 percent over the year to 15,718 in August amid the eased measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of divorces reduced 1.8 percent to 8,227 in the cited month.

The number of deaths stood at 30,001 in August, up 15.8 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest August reading amid the continued pandemic and the aging population.

Due to the record deaths and the childbirth drop, the country's population kept sliding for 34 straight months since November 2019.