SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea’s childbirth hit a new record low in the first half of this year on rising worry about a so-called demographic cliff, statistical office data showed Wednesday.
The number of newborn babies was 158,524 in the January-June period, down 7.7 percent from the same six-month period of last year, according to Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest since relevant data began to be compiled in 1981.
The figure declined 8.0 percent over the year to 75,447 in the April-June quarter, after sliding 7.4 percent to 83,077 in the January-March quarter.
The total fertility rate, which measures the number of babies a woman is forecast to bear during lifetime, retreated to 0.91 in the second quarter from 1.01 in the previous quarter.
The readings were much lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that is required to maintain the country’s population at the current 51 million.
The South Korean population was expected to begin falling from 2028, according to the statistical office’s estimate.
In June alone, the number of newborns touched a new monthly low of 24,051, continuing to break record lows for the 39th consecutive month since April 2016.
The continued slide in childbirth fueled concern about the demographic cliff, which refers to a sudden drop in the heads of household leading eventually to a consumption cliff.
The low birth rate has been a headache for the South Korean economy as it leads to the lower workforce amid the fast-aging population, which would drag down the economy’s growth potential.
