A natural population decline in South Korea is accelerating with the number of deaths in August surpassing that of births by two-thousand-800, the highest this year so far.

According to the latest data from Statistics Korea on Wednesday, 22-thousand-472 babies were born in August, down seven-point-eight percent compared to a year earlier.

The latest newborn figure is the lowest for the month since the state agency began compiling related data in 1981, and the record monthly low has continued for the 53rd consecutive month.

The number of deaths, on the other hand, totaled 25-thousand-284, surging six-point-seven percent from August 2019. The latest total is the highest to be recorded for the month since 1983.

While stressing that it remains unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic directly affected the surge in deaths, an agency official also cited a combination of other factors, such as a heat wave after mid-August and the aging population.

With low births and high deaths, the natural population growth in the country has fallen into negative territory for the tenth straight month since last November.