By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter



The number of childbirths fell to an all-time low last year as an increasing number of Korean women are getting married at a later age and having fewer children.
The National Statistical Office (NSO) reported on Wednesday that there were 476,052 babies born in 2004, down 17,419 from 2003, the lowest figure since 1970 when the NSO began to compile the data.

It means that an average of 1,301 infants were born every day, down from 1,352 in 2003.

The average number of babies born per woman, or the total fertility rate (TFR), came to 1.16 in 2004, down from 1.19 a year earlier.

``The low birth rate is due to a fall in the number of women of childbearing age and a rise in the number of women pursuing a career instead of a family,’’ an NSO official said.

Korea’s TFR of 1.16 is lower than the major member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the U.S.’s Population Reference Bureau. American women had an average of 2.04 infants last year, followed by 1.89 in France, 1.79 in Britain and 1.29 in Japan.

The crude birth rate (CBR), which indicates the number of children born per 1,000 people, stood at 9.8 infants, down from 10.2 in 2003, 13.4 in 2000 and 15.4 in 1990, the NSO said.

The average age of pregnant women exceeded 30 last year for the first time at 30.1 years, up from 29.8 in 2003.

Korean women had their first child at the average age of 28.9 in 2004, with the second and third children born at 30.8 and 33.1, respectively.

``The data shows that more women are giving birth in their early 30s. The number of pregnant women in their 20s fell as they are postponing marriage to pursue their careers,’’ the official said.

The number of male newborns per 100 female infants stood at 108.2 in 2004, down from 108.7 a year earlier, indicating that the sex ratio at birth is approaching the normal range of 103 to 107.

But the sex ratio for the third child was at 132 males per 100 female babies, showing that Koreans still prefer males.

The NSO said that more married couples decided to have babies later even after they got married as about 72 percent of couples gave birth to their first child within two years of marriage last year, down from 72.6 percent in 2003 and 82.8 percent 10 years ago.

By region, newborns in Seoul, Kyonggi Province and Inchon accounted for 50.4 percent of the total.

Meanwhile, 245,771 Koreans died in 2004, equivalent to a daily average of 672.

Crude death rate (CDR), the number of deaths per 1,000 people, marked 5.1 in 2004, remaining unchanged for four consecutive years.

The death rate for males aged 40 to 49 was 2.77 times higher than females in the same age group. The group of 50 to 59-year-old males had a 2.98 times higher rate than females, while the male group of 60 to 69-year-olds was 2.55 times higher.

The natural population growth rate, calculated by subtracting CDR from CBR, stood at 4.7 last year, down from 5.1 in 2003, as people have fewer babies amid a low death rate.

The Korean population increased by 230,000 in 2004, lower than an increase of 480,000 a year ago.

The population will likely remain unchanged until 2021, given the current low birth rate, and is expected to decline afterward.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr