Busan is good

Mayor Park Heong-joon: “Beyond a Rebound to a Clear Upward Trend” as Busan Metropolitan City Records Two Consecutive Years of Growth in Births and Total Fertility Rate

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the number of births in Busan last year reached 14,017 and the total fertility rate was provisionally tallied at 0.74, marking an increase for the second consecutive year.

According to the “2025 Population Trends Survey” released today (25th) by Statistics Korea, the number of births in Busan in 2025 totaled 14,017, an increase of 954 births (7.3 percent) compared to the previous year (13,063).

The city’s total fertility rate also rose to 0.74 in 2025, up by 0.06 (8.3 percent) from 0.68 the previous year. This marks a second consecutive year of growth and continues the rebound first seen in 2024, the first upward turn since 2015 in nine years.

Nationwide, the number of births in 2025 increased by 6.8 percent year-on-year to 254,457, while the total fertility rate also rose by 6.8 percent to 0.80. Busan Metropolitan City’s growth rate in birth indicators exceeded the national average.

The increase in Busan’s number of births and total fertility rate is analyzed as the result of a combination of highly felt, citizen-oriented birth and childcare-friendly policies and a recent rise in the number of marriages.

To support the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth and childcare, the city is implementing various measures, including: the launch of a fertility preservation support program; housing loan and interest support for newlyweds; an additional KRW 1 million childbirth grant for second and subsequent children; expansion of the children’s complex cultural space Deullak Nallak; and expansion of the criteria for multi-child households (from three to two children).

As a result, Busan ranked first nationwide in the “2024 Korean Children’s Quality of Life Index,” and the Busan-style childcare policy brand “With the Utmost Care, Just Like You” was selected as one of the “2024 Busan Citizen-Approved Best 12 City Policies.”

This year, the city plans to newly 추진 various initiatives, including: full free childcare for children aged 3 to 5 at daycare centers; expanded toll discounts on Gwangandaegyo Bridge for multi-child households; and the establishment of the Busan Childcare Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integrated Call Center.

Meanwhile, the number of marriages in Busan in 2025 reached 12,802, an increase of 1,303 cases (11.3 percent) from 11,499 the previous year, showing a concurrent upward trend alongside birth indicators.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “Following the rebound in both the number of births and the total fertility rate in 2024 for the first time in nine years, last year saw even greater-than-expected increases in both indicators, which I find highly meaningful. This is a positive signal resulting from policies that citizens can truly feel, including birth and childcare support, housing assistance for young people, and expanded benefits for multi-child families. Above all, the policy direction of sharing the burden of childbirth and childcare across society is gradually yielding results.”

He added, “This year as well, Busan Metropolitan City will further concentrate its policy capacity to create a city where it is good to have and raise children through leading and bold birth and childcare support policies.”