The number of newborns in June plunged to an all-time low as it stayed in the 18-thousand range.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, 18-thousand-615 babies were born in June, down one-point-six percent from a year earlier to post the lowest for the month since the agency began compiling related data in 1981.

The on-month decline has continued a 90-month streak since December 2015.

The total fertility rate, the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime, fell to zero-point-seven in the second quarter, an all-time low for the April-to-June period.

The crude birth rate, the annual number of live births per one-thousand people, stood at another all-time low of four-point-four for June, down zero-point-one on-year.

The number of deaths rose seven-point-six percent on-year to an a monthly record high of 26-thousand-820, with the agency citing the aging society, resulting in a natural population decline of eight-point-205 to continue the 44-month streak that began in November of 2019.