Birth rate in S. Korea continues to fall amid delayed marriage

SEOUL, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Childbirth in South Korea continued to fall in March amid the delayed marriage and the postponement of having children, a government report showed Monday.

The number of babies born in March was 38,800, down 10.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the Statistics Korea. For the first three months of this year, childbirth cases decreased 6.4 percent from the same period of last year.

The March figure posted the third consecutive monthly fall following a 0.4 percent decline in January and a 9.1 percent drop in February each.

The low birthrate was attributable to the continued reduction in marriages. The number of marriages dropped 16 percent from a year earlier to 23,600 in March, declining for five straight months.

Young people with the marriageable age tended to delay marriage and put off having children in South Korea amid the growing costs for rearing a child and daily livelihood.

The delayed marriage and chronically low birthrate boosted concerns over a fall in working age population and its consequent low growth as well as rising welfare expenses.

We recommend:
AN-2 plane crashes in Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan	Graduation ceremonies of West Point held in New York	People mourn over British fallen soldier in London
'Abused' dolls displayed in Israel	City lit up during Vivid Sydney	Jewish wedding ceremony held in Jerusalem