Soon-to-be parents look at baby products at a baby fair in Gangnam District, Seoul, Dec. 27, 2024. Yonhap

The number of babies born in Korea rose at the fastest rate in 14 years in November, driven partly by an increase in marriages in the post-pandemic era and shifting perceptions toward marriage and parenthood, the statistics agency said Wednesday.

A total of 20,095 babies were born in November 2024, up 14.6 percent from the 17,530 newborns during the same period a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

It marked the largest on-year increase since November 2010, when the number of childbirths grew by 17.5 percent.

The report also showed that the number of couples getting married soared 11.3 percent on-year to 18,581 in November. For the January-November period, 199,903 couples tied the knot, marking a 13.5 percent on-year increase.

Korea has long struggled with a declining birth rate as many young people opt to delay or forgo marriage and parenthood. In response, the government has introduced various policies to encourage marriage and support child-rearing, including benefits for newlyweds and expanded child care assistance.

"After the pandemic, we have seen an increase in marriages and the birth of first and second children," said Im Young-il, an agency official. "There have also been gradual shifts in the perception on marriage and childbirth due to factors such as government policies."

The number of deaths, meanwhile, dropped 3.8 percent on-year to 29,219 in November.

Accordingly, Korea reported a natural population decrease of 9,124 in the month.

The number of deaths has continued to exceed the number of newborns since the fourth quarter of 2019. (Yonhap)