Fewer than 20,000 babies were born in Korea in February, a record low for the month

The number of live births in Korea fell below 20,000 in February, a record low for the month.

According to a report on population trends for February published by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, there were 19,362 live births that month, representing a 3.3% decrease from February of last year. That was the fewest live births in the month of February since the Korean government began tracking the figure in 1981, as well as the first time the February live births figure has dropped below 20,000.

The provisional figure for live births in February 2023 (published that April) had also clocked in below 20,000 (19,939), but the official figure was later revised to 20,020.