South Korea's Birth Rate Surges: 'Echo Boomers' Drive Biggest Rise in Two Decades

• South Korea recorded 254,500 births in 2025, the largest annual increase since 2007, marking a 6.8% surge.
• The fertility rate climbed to 0.80, returning to the 0.8 range for the first time since 2021, offering relief amid a population crisis.
• The rise is partly attributed to "echo boomers" (born 1991-1995), now in their peak childbearing years, with 1.7 million women in this cohort.
• Other factors include a spike in post-pandemic marriages, improved perceptions of child-rearing, and government/corporate pro-natalist measures.
• Despite the increase, deaths still outnumber births, and experts caution the positive trend may be temporary, potentially subsiding from 2027.