1~10월 인구 -1.9만명…"올해 출생아 20만명대 진입 코앞"<br /><br />South Korea's population has now been shrinking for at least twelve months in a row.<br />Data show that so far this year, through October, deaths have outnumbered births by almost 19 thousand.<br />The number of births and new marriages were also the lowest for the month of October since records began.<br />Kim Jae-hee reports.<br />The number of births in South Korea in October this year was the lowest for the month of October since data was first compiled in 1981.<br />According to data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of births in October fell 14-point-4 percent on-year to around 21-thousand-9-hundred.<br />The drop also marks the largest on-year fall for the month of October since the 17-point-7 percent decline recorded in October 2001.<br />The number of births in South Korea has been dipping on-year for 59 consecutive months now.<br />The total number of births up until October this year amounts to around 233-thousand-7-hundred.<br />Considering that the number of births tends to decline towards the end of year, the total number this year is likely to be below 300-thousand.<br />October is the twelfth straight month that the number of deaths has outnumbered births.<br />From January to October this year, there were 18-thousand-816 more deaths than births.<br />There were also fewer than 16-thousand-5-hundred marriages in October, down 19 percent from the previous year.<br />That's the lowest number of marriages in the month of October since data was first compiled in 1981.<br />Statistics Korea says the pandemic exacerbated the general trend of fewer marriages, as the epidemic caused many couples to postpone their wedding plans.<br />"The number of marriages was down 19 percent, marking the second steepest on-year decrease for the month of October, following a 21 percent fall in October 2017. The number of marriages is on a continuous decline. There's also a dwindling number of people in their 30s. Couples delaying weddings due to COVID-19 seems to have had a significant impact as well."<br />The number of divorces in October was down 5-point-2 percent on-year, to 9-thousand-3-hundred-49.<br />Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.<br />
