The number of childbirths in South Korea increased to the its highest level in two years, according to a government report released Wednesday.
Statistics Korea said about 40,400 babies were born in March this year, an increase of 6.3 percent from 38,000 reported in the same month last year.
It also said the number of babies born during the first quarter of this year reached 117,700, up 1.5 percent from 116,000.
“The number of women aged over 35 having babies played a part in the rise of newborn numbers last month,” an official from the statistics office was quoted as saying by Yonhap. “The number of babies born to mothers between 35 and 39 rose 1.7 percentage points.”
