In its “February 2026 Population Trends” report released Tuesday, the agency said 22,898 babies were born in February, up 2,747 (13.6%) from the same month a year earlier. Births have been rising for 20 months since July 2024, when they increased 7.8%.
The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime — was 0.93, up 0.10 from a year earlier. Births rose year over year in all provinces and major cities.
By birth order, the share of first-born children rose 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier, while the shares of second-born and third-or-higher births fell 0.5 and 0.6 points, respectively.
Deaths totaled 29,172 in February, down 1,069 (-3.5%) from a year earlier. Deaths increased in five provinces and major cities, including Busan and North Chungcheong, and decreased in 12, including Seoul and Daegu.
With deaths exceeding births, the natural population change was minus 6,275. Natural decrease has continued for 76 consecutive months since November 2019, when it was minus 1,685.
Marriages, often seen as a leading indicator for births, totaled 18,557, down 811 (-4.2%) from a year earlier. Divorces fell to 6,197, down 1,149 (-15.6%).
In the first quarter, the number of people who moved was 1.792 million, up 2.3% (40,000) from a year earlier. The migration rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 14.3%.
Net migration by province and major city showed net inflows in seven areas, led by Gyeonggi (11,946), Seoul (3,955) and Incheon (3,740). Ten areas posted net outflows, including South Gyeongsang (-5,707), Gwangju (-3,973) and North Gyeongsang (-3,480).
By age, movers were most concentrated in their 20s (453,000) and 30s (378,000). Migration rates were highest among people in their 20s (32.6%) and 30s (23.0%).
Last month, 609,000 people moved, up 11.0% from March 2025. The March migration rate — movers per 100 people — was 14.1%, up 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier.
Moves within the same province or major city accounted for 61.2%, while moves between provinces and major cities made up 38.8%. From a year earlier, within-area moves rose 9.1% and between-area moves increased 14.5%.
Net migration in March showed net inflows in seven areas, including Gyeonggi (2,165), Incheon (1,586) and North Chungcheong (1,533). Net outflows were recorded in South Gyeongsang (-1,648), Gwangju (-1,547) and Ulsan (-1,143).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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