8월 출생아 수 전년 대비 33개월 연속 감소..사망자 수 전년 대비 4.8% 증가

South Korea is suffering from a shrinking population, as birthrate declines and deathrate increases.
The digits were especially discouraging in August with the number of newborns marking a record-low.
Yoon Jung-min provides a closer look.
The number of births in Korea fell again in August. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, about 27-point-3-thousand babies were born in August, down 9-point-3 percent from the same period last year. In contrast, the number of deaths increased to 23-point-9 thousand, up 4-point-8 percent from the same period last year.
The decrease in the number of newborns is the lowest in 33 consecutive months. Among the reasons for the dropping figures stand out the dwindling number of marriages annually, as well as the shrinking number of women in the 29 to 35 age bracket, which stood at 2.35 million last year.
Meanwhile, as Korea continues suffering from an aging population, the number of deaths went up 4-point-8 percent on-year. The data for August marked the highest since 1983.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.