One Cut from JoongAng Ilbo

More babies on board

Births rose 15.4 percent in the first half of 2026, marking the highest first-half total since 2019.

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Nurses care for newborn babies in the nursery at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 3.


A nurse cradles a newborn in the nursery at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 3. Korea is seeing signs of a demographic rebound after years of declining births. Some 145,804 babies were born in the first half of 2026, up 15.4 percent from a year earlier and the highest first-half figure since 2019. Births in June rose 15.6 percent on year, extending their growth streak to 24 consecutive months.

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