Number of deaths up 23 percent on year in February

Economy

Published: 27 Apr. 2022, 18:34 Updated: 27 Apr. 2022, 18:54

Number of deaths up 23 percent on year in February

Covid-19 testing in March in Seoul. The number of people who died have incresaed sharply conmpared to a year ago due to Covid-19. [YONHAP]

As the number of births continued to fall in Korea, total deaths jumped in February.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, 29,189 people died that month, a 22.7 percent increase year-on-year. It is the second consecutive month in which the number of deaths exceeded 29,000.

In January, 29,686 people died in Korea.

In February, 20,654 births were recorded, down 3.2 percent. In the first two months of this year, 45,252 births were recorded, a 2.1 percent fall.

With fewer births in February, the natural population decline was 8,535.

Population decline has continued for 28 straight months.

"While the number of people dying has been consistently increasing due to the aging population, the spread of Covid-19, especially among elderly, significantly increased the number of people dying," said Noh Hyung-joon, a Statistics Korea official.

The number of marriages increased, but it was mostly due to the base effect, as many couples postponed their wedding plans due to social restrictions implemented amid the pandemic.

In February, 15,308 couples were married, up 2.2 percent year-on-year. In February 2021, the number of marriages was down 21.6 percent on year.

The February increase was the first since April last year, when the number of marriages was up 1.2 percent.

The number of couples divorcing fell 8 percent year-on-year to 7,136.

The statistics agency said the decline in divorces may have been largely the result of fewer couples getting married in recent years.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]