S Korea's childbirth hits record low in November

The number of newborn babies was 19,800 in November 2021, down 1.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It has marked the lowest since data began to be compiled in 1981. The newborns have been on the decline for 72 months since December 2015 amid the rising social trend of delayed marriage and the lower number of women who are of childbearing age.

The number of marriages shrank 6 percent from a year earlier to 17,088 in November 2021, posting the lowest November figure. The number of divorces slipped 1.2 percent to 8,770 in the cited month. For the first 11 months of 2021, the number of newborns stood at 244,016, down 3.4 percent compared to the same period of 2020. 

The low birth rate boosted concerns about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff. The number of deaths increased 11 percent over the year to 28,426 in November.