[News Today] BIRTHS RISE 10% IN SEPT.

[LEAD]
A demographic national emergency was declared in South Korea due to a rapid decline in birthrates. In September, statistics revealed there was a 10% increase in newborns compared to the previous year. Cumulative births until September also exceeded last year's figures, signaling a clear reversal in birthrates. Here's more.

[REPORT]
An expo on baby products is underway. The site is crowded with parents who brought their infants as well as expecting parents.

Visitor numbers that plunged during the pandemic have recently recovered.

Nam Dong-jun / Baby products expo organizer
(Compared to last year?) There's a big difference. I believe birth and marriage rates are up.

The number of newborns in the month of September jumped 10.1% on-year to continue an upward trend for the 3rd consecutive month.

The figure so far this year through September stands at some 178-thousand, surpassing the count for the same period last year. The annual number of newborns may well exceed last year to mark the first rebound in 9 years.

Marriages which have increased post-pandemic along with an uptick in the population of people in their 30s are believed to be behind the rise in births.

Lee Hye-mi / Expected to give birth in March
We married last March, even while dating, planned to have at least 2 kids.

The total fertility rate in the 3rd quarter also rose by 0.05 on-year to record 0.76.

Statistics Korea earlier projected the rate to reach 0.68 this year and hit the lowest level next year before rising in 2026.

However given the latest stats, the bottoming out and rebounding periods could be pushed up by two years.

Lim Young-il / Statistics Korea
Given the current pace, this year's total fertility rate is expected to modestly rise from last year, ranging between 0.72 and 0.74.

The number of marriages, which serve as a preceding indicator for child births, has also posted the steepest growth for any third quarter since relevant record keeping began.