Nurses on Feb. 22 care for newborns at the neonatal unit of CHA University Ilsan CHA Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province. (Yonhap News)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The number of births in May jumped 13.6% year on year, a record high for the month.

A population trends report for May released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on July 29 said 23,160 babies were born that month, with the hike of 13.6% (2,781) being the highest for the period since relevant statistics were first compiled in 1982.

The number of births thus marked its 23rd straight month of increase dating back to July 2024. With year-on-year growth reaching double digits every month this year, the cumulative figure between January and May was 122,694, up 15.2%.

The total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, was 0.85 in May, up from 0.75.

The ministry said this was due to factors such as growth in marriages driven by shifting perceptions among young people and a rise in the 30-something female population.

dusrud21@korea.kr