South Korea's childbirth logged the lowest April figure, fueling worry about a so-called demographic cliff, statistical office data showed Wednesday.
The number of newborn babies stood at 22,820 in April, down 2.2 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest April reading since data began to be compiled in 1981.
The number continued to slide for 65 months since December 2015 amid the rising social trend of delayed marriage and the falling number of women who are of childbearing age.
The low birth rate boosted concern about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.
The number of marriages added 1.2 percent over the year to 15,861 in April, marking the first rebound in 14 months.
The marriages declined last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of divorces shrank 2.4 percent to 9,038 in the cited month.
The number of deaths increased 1.7 percent to 25,087 in April, posting the highest April figure since 1981 amid the aging population.
Because of the childbirth fall and the death increase, the country's population kept skidding for 18 months in a row since November 2019.
