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Is Korea's birthrate crisis turning around? Why 'echo boomer' women are choosing to have children.

Published: 04 Feb. 2026, 16:57 Updated: 04 Feb. 2026, 19:48

Visitors wait for their appointment in the lobby of an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Jan. 28. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]

Korea was infamous for its subzero birthrate, but after hitting rock bottom in 2023, the number of births in Korea began to rise in 2024, albeit gradually, especially among women in their 30s.

In fact, women who choose to have children now have to wait for hours to book an appointment at birth clinics.

On the morning of Jan. 28, when temperatures fell to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), a crowd gathered outside an obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) clinic in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul.

About 10 pregnant women and their family members rushed into the lobby as soon as the doors opened at 8:30 a.m.

The clinic, which has gained a reputation among residents as a “delivery-specialized hospital,” has seen long lines form even before opening hours for several months. Locals now refer to it as an “open-run OB-GYN,” borrowing a Korean term used for stores that see customers line up before opening hours.

“I waited until my life felt more settled before having children, so I ended up pregnant in my late 30s, but I definitely feel like there are more people around me who want to have children. And for us, it happened naturally,” said Lee Soo-min, who is expecting her second child after six years of marriage.

“I can take a total of six years of parental leave, [...] and my husband has already used one year. The system has improved compared to before, so the burden [of parenting] feels lighter.”

A rebound driven by choice, not demographics

The “echo boom generation,” those born in the early to mid-1990s and widely seen as the driving force behind the rebound in births, is more likely than the preceding generation to choose to have children.

The term echo boom refers to a demographic cohort largely comprising the children of baby boomers.

A newborn nursery is seen at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 27, 2025. [NEWS1]

Many observers have long pointed to the echo boom generation as a reason behind the rebound, as the cohort is relatively large. However, an analysis titled “Factors Behind the Rebound in Births in 2024" (translated) by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (Kihasa) found that the rebound had less to do with an increased number of women of childbearing age and more to do with the rising number of women choosing to have children.

According to the research team, only 3.2 percent of the 10,924 increase in births in 2024 among women in their 30s was attributed to there being more of them. The remaining 96.8 percent, or 10,571 births, resulted from higher birthrates.

The number of annual births in Korea declined for eight consecutive years, falling from 438,420 in 2015 to 230,028 in 2023, before rising by 3.6 percent in 2024 to 238,317 — the first uptick in nearly a decade. That trend continued last year, with 233,708 births recorded through November 2025.

Second children emerge as a key driver

Another reason for the resurgence was attributed to what experts call the “0 or 2" mentality: Either have no child at all, or have two while they're at it.

The study found that second births contributed more to the overall increase in births than first births, a pattern not seen in earlier analyses. Researchers calculated the figures by assuming other demographic factors, including the number of women of childbearing age and marriage rates, underwent no change from the previous year.

A newborn nursery is seen at MizMedi Hospital in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 26, 2025. [JUN MIN-KYU]

“There has never been a period in which [...] the births of second children played such a large role in overall birth numbers,” the team said.

The number of second-child births fell sharply over the past eight years, from about 166,000 in 2015 to 74,000 in 2023, before rising to 76,000 in 2024.

Policies help make having a second child easier

Researchers interpret the increase as a sign that policies supporting work-life balance and expanded child-rearing benefits have begun to influence a decision that many couples once ruled out entirely.

“When I received cash benefits, such as a voucher worth 2 million won [$1,380] from the government after my first child, I felt as if the burden of having a second child wouldn’t be as heavy as I had expected,” said a woman surnamed Kim, who gave birth to her second child last December. “It was hard to get my first child into a day care center, but once I became pregnant with my second child, my first child received priority for admission, which made enrollment easier.”

The study also found that a shift toward more positive views of childbirth contributed to the rebound in births.

In a survey of 1,003 women who gave birth in 2024, respondents cited their own willingness to have children as the most influential factor, rating it at 4.24 out of 5, followed by their spouse's willingness at 4.2 and age considerations at 4.09.

“Compared to the past, the fear of career breaks has clearly decreased, and I see more people around me choosing marriage or childbirth,” said Han, who is expecting to give birth this summer.

A pregnant woman surnamed Han holds up her maternity handbook and ultrasound photos during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Jan. 22. [HAN CHAN-WOO]

Marriage and childbirth regain appeal

People preparing for marriage are also actively considering having children.

“In the past, people talked a lot about prioritizing personal freedom or staying single, but now it almost feels like building a family has become a trend,” said Lee Han-jo, who visited a wedding expo taking place last month in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

Even the language around remaining child-free seems to be fading, said Jeon Ho-jin, another woman in her 30s preparing to marry in May.

“People don’t really use the word DINK as much anymore,” she said. “We as a couple also want to have at least one child.”

DINK stands for “double income, no kids,” a term for couples who both earn wages and choose not to have children.

A survey released on Sunday by the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association found that marriage intentions among unmarried men rose 2.3 percentage points to 60.8 percent in 2025 compared to a year earlier, and intentions among women rose 3 percentage points to 47.6 percent.

Intentions to have children also rose for both men and women, increasing by 3.6 percentage points to 62 percent among men and by 1.7 percentage points to 42.6 percent among women in 2025 compared to 2024.

“Society has started to approach marriage and childbirth in a more practical way,” said Koo Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University. “More people think forming a life with someone else helps with stability and asset building. Fear of loneliness or isolation may also influence these choices.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH SAM-GWON, KWAK JOO-YOUNG AND HAN CHAN-WOO [[email protected]]