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South Korea’s total fertility rate rises to 0.80 in 2025, highest in four years

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South Korea
February 25, 2026 (Updated: March 12, 2026) 2 min read 3 sources 0 Center Positive AI Assisted
South Korea’s total fertility rate rises to 0.80 in 2025, highest in four years
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EWY iShares MSCI South Korea ETF
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3-6 Months

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TheWkly Analysis

South Korea’s total fertility rate hit a four-year high in 2025 due to a continued growth in births, statistical ministry data showed. The total fertility rate, or the number of children a woman is expected to bear during life, rose 0.05 to 0.80 in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the highest in four years since 2021 when the fertility rate recorded 0.81. The rate, required to stay at the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman to maintain a stable population, tumbled from 1.24 in 2015 to 0.72 in 2023 before rebounding to 0.75 in 2024. The number of newborn babies swelled 6.8 percent from a year earlier to 254,500 in 2025 after growing 3.6 percent in 2024. The number of deaths gained 1.3 percent over the year to 363,400 in 2025.

Multiple perspectives analyzed from 0 sources
What this means for you:
  • Young South Korean parents receive slightly more peers for their children, easing future social isolation in schools and communities.
  • Elderly citizens face intensified competition for shrinking pension funds as workforce shrinks faster than births recover.
  • Working-age employees encounter rising pressure from labor shortages, leading to higher workloads and potential wage stagnation.
Your Wallet
Your Samsung phone or Hyundai car prices won't drop from this—South Korea's baby boomlet is too small to boost their workforce anytime soon. Long-term, fewer young workers there could mean pricier gadgets and cars for us. Casual investors: don't chase EWY on this blip; it's no game-changer for your 401k.

Key Entities

  • Ministry of Data and Statistics Organization

    South Korean government body that compiles and releases official population and fertility statistics.

  • Total Fertility Rate Concept

    Demographic measure estimating the average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime based on current birth rates.

  • Seoul Place

    Capital city of South Korea where the statistical ministry is based and urban pressures contribute to low fertility trends.

  • Replacement Level Concept

    Fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without migration.

Multi-Perspective Analysis

Left-Leaning View

Frames the fertility rise as a win for social policies supporting families, urging more government intervention to combat inequality in childcare access.

Centrist View

Reports factual data on births and rates neutrally, noting trends without assigning blame or prescribing solutions.

Right-Leaning View

Highlights rebound as evidence of traditional family values gaining ground, downplaying need for expansive welfare expansions.

Source & Verification

Source: Capital FM RSS

Status: AI Processed

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