A nurse takes care of babies at the neonatal unit of Ain Hospital, Incheon, Feb. 26. The number of young people applying for state-funded fertility tests has surged this year, in the latest sign that Korea's birthrate is bouncing back after a decade of decline. Newsis

The number of young people applying for state-funded fertility tests has surged so far this year, in the latest sign that Korea's birthrate is bouncing back after a decade of decline.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday, 94,000 people aged between 20 and 49 applied for the program in the first two months of this year to assess potential fertility issues, compared to 130,000 applicants over the nine months of the previous year.

Introduced on April 1, 2024, the policy aims to encourage couples to detect issues regarding fertility early so that they can be treated more effectively.

Given that those interested in having children in the future typically participate in the program, officials said the high number of applicants is a positive sign for the country's total fertility rate — the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. Last week, they announced that the figure edged up to 0.75 in 2024 from 0.72 the previous year.

The ministry attributed the increase in fertility test applicants to the expansion of support for individuals struggling with reduced fertility or difficulty conceiving.

Last year, taking a free fertility test was available only for married couples and those going to get married soon. Also, taking additional tests was not free.

Starting this year, individuals in their 20s, 30s and 40s are allowed to take the test up to three times for free, regardless of their marital status or marriage plans.

As part of the pan-government effort to boost the nation's total fertility rate, which remains the lowest in the world, relevant ministries have expanded support for those who are willing to have babies but are diagnosed with reduced fertility.

For example, the government dropped the maximum income threshold for financial support for such problems last year.

Thanks to these efforts, the proportion of babies born to couples diagnosed with fertility problems has increased from 7 percent of all births in 2020 to 11 percent in 2023. Officials believe the rate will continue to rise as marriage is occurring later than before.

Citing polls from Statistics Korea, the ministry expressed optimism about Korea's birth crisis.

In a 2024 poll, 52.5 percent of respondents said they would get married one day, up from 50 percent in 2022.

"We made a number of improvements to ensure that those who want to have children can so do," Kim Sang-hee, director general of the health ministry's child policy division, said. "We will continue to promote our support policies while carefully evaluating and monitoring of ongoing projects."

Last week, Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, stated that Korea's total fertility rate is expected to rise to 0.79 this year.

The government's short-term goal is to help raise it to 1 by 2030.