South Korean parents are having their first child about two years later than they did a decade ago, reflecting a continued trend toward later marriage and childbirth, data showed.

In 2025, first-time fathers were 35.4 years old on average, while first-time mothers were 33.2, up from 33.7 and 31.2, respectively, in 2015.

The number of births rose 6.7 percent year on year to 254,300, the highest since 2021. Firstborn children accounted for 62.4 percent of all births.

The total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, rose for a second consecutive year to 0.80, returning to the 0.8 range for the first time since 2021.

The fertility rate among women aged 35-39 reached a record 52.1 births per 1,000 women, but rates for younger age groups continued to decline.


don@heraldcorp.com