Echo-boomer Wave Lifts South Korea’s Births for a Second Year
South Korea recorded 254,500 births in 2025, the largest annual rise in 15 years, pushing the fertility rate to 0.80 as the echo-boomer cohort (born 1991–1995) reaches peak childbearing age and marriage rates rebound post-Covid; however, the population still shrinks because deaths exceed births, and long-standing barriers like housing costs and childcare persist despite pro-natal policies. Figures are finalized in August.