S. Korea's 2008 childbirths fall 1st time in 3 years

SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- The number of children born in South Korea declined for the first time in three years in 2008, with delayed marriages and other socio-cultural trends cited as contributing factors, data showed Wednesday.

According to the data by the National Statistical Office, the number of newborns
totaled 465,892 last year, down 5.5 percent from a year earlier.
The figure marked the first annual decline in the number of childbirths
nationwide since 2005 when it dropped 8 percent. In 2006 and 2007, births
increased 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
The decline is attributed mainly to a shrinking female population and a
relatively steep increase in childbirths in 2007 as would-be parents were
encouraged by the belief that babies born during the "year of the golden pig"
would enjoy prosperity.
The pig is the 12th and final animal in the Asian zodiac and many here see the
animal as a symbol of wealth.
The number of babies born for every 1,000 people stood at 9.4 last year, down
from 10 a year earlier, the data showed. The number of babies an average woman is
expected to have throughout her life also inched down to 1.19 from the previous
year's 1.25.
The average age for a woman's first childbirth stood of 29.6 years, up 0.18 from
a year earlier, with second and third births coming at 31.69 and 33.8 years of
age, respectively.
The data showed that 106.4 male babies were born last year for every 100 female
babies, showing that the gender ratio remains in the normal range of 103 to 107,
according to the data.
Meanwhile, 51.3 percent of total childbirths were reported in Seoul and its
surrounding areas last year, the data showed.