Seoul, June 24 (AHN) The number of babies born in South Korea shot up 18 per cent in April from a year earlier, reaching the highest level in seven years, government data showed on Wednesday.

A total of 24,521 babies were born in April, up from 20,787 a year earlier, according to data from South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the highest figure for any April since 26,104 babies were recorded in 2019.

Over the January-April period, the total number of births came to 99,534, also the highest in seven years, up a sharp 15.5 per cent from a year earlier.

The number of births grew at a record rate for both April and the January-April period.

The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose by 0.13 from a year earlier to 0.93 in April, reports Yonhap news agency.

The number of newborns has been on an upward trend since July 2024.

Experts attribute the recent growth to an increase in the number of marriages, along with a more positive perception of childbirth.

The rate still remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

The number of marriages in April rose 9 per cent from a year earlier to 20,622. It was also the highest figure since 22,844 was recorded in April 2016.

The number of divorces, meanwhile, rose 7.3 per cent from a year earlier to 7,829.

The data showed the number of deaths fell 1.3 per cent from a year earlier to 28,405, resulting in a natural population decline of 3,884.