Fertility rate in Korea projected to rise for the first time in nine years

South Korea’s fertility rate is projected to reach 0.74 this year, which would mark the first increase in nine years, according to a government body addressing the country’s declining birth rate and aging society.

Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, announced the estimate during a keynote address at the Global Symposium on Low Fertility and Aging organized by Statistics Korea and UNFPA on Tuesday in central Seoul.

“Recently, marriage rates have increased for five consecutive months and the number of births has risen for two consecutive months,” Joo said. “These signs suggest the declining fertility rate may finally be reversing.”

“If this trend continues, this year’s total fertility rate is projected to be 0.74, which would mark a rebound.”

The predicted 0.74 figure would surpass Statistics Korea’s earlier estimate of 0.68 and last year’s record low of 0.72.

If the estimate holds true, it will mark the first rise in births here since 2015, when the fertility rate was 1.24.

While the projection is an improvement from the previous year, the figure is far below the 2.1 children needed to maintain a country's population at its current level.

South Korea has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, and if this downward trend continues, Korea's population is estimated to halve by the year 2100. The Korean government has been engaged in a range of policy efforts to tackle what it calls a "demographic national emergency."