This photo taken on May 24, 2017 shows social workers caring for a baby at the Jusarang Community Church in southern Seoul. (PHOTO / AFP)

SEOUL - South Korea's childbirth logged the lowest November figure, keeping a downward trend for 84 months in a row, statistical office data showed Thursday.

The newborns have been on the decline since December 2015 amid the continued social trend of delayed marriage and the lower number of women who are of childbearing age

The number of newborn babies was 18,982 in November, down 4.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest November reading since relevant data began to be compiled in 1981.

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The newborns have been on the decline since December 2015 amid the continued social trend of delayed marriage and the lower number of women who are of childbearing age.

The low birth rate fueled worry about the demographic cliff, which refers to a sharp fall in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.

The number of marriages rose 2.2 percent over the year to 17,458 in November, but the number of divorces shrank 3.1 percent to 8,498.

The number of deaths was 30,107 in November, up 6.1 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest November figure amid the continued COVID-19 pandemic and the aging population.

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Affected by the record deaths and the childbirth drop, the country's population kept sliding for the 37th successive month since November 2019.