Seoul, Aug 25 (IANS): South Korea's childbirth level hit a record low in the first half of this year, the lowest since 1981, statistical office data revealed on Wednesday.

The number of newborn babies stood at 136,917 in the January-June period, down 3.5 per cent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea.

The newborns kept skidding amid the growing social trend of delayed marriage and the falling number of women who are of childbearing age, reports Xinhua news agency.

The number of marriages diminished 11.9 per cent over the year to 96,265 in the first half, logging the lowest first-half reading.

The low birth rate boosted concerns about the demographic cliff, which refers to a drop in the heads of households eventually leading to a consumption cliff.

During the April-June quarter, the number of newborns shrank 2.7 per cent from a year earlier to 66,398, recording the lowest second-quarter reading.

The total fertility rate, which refers to the average number of babies that a woman is forecast to have during the lifetime, slightly fell to a new second-quarter low of 0.82 per cent.

The number of marriages reduced 5.4 per cent from a year earlier to 48,249 in the second quarter, and the number of divorces slipped 2.7 per cent to 26,224.