Childbirths in South Korea fell after growing for seven months in a row in November, mainly due to seasonal factors, a government report showed Monday.

According to Statistics Korea, about 32,300 babies were born in November, down 4.4 percent from 33,800 tallied a year earlier.

The number of babies born in the country increased from April through October.

"There is no definitive reason for the drop, but it has been observed in the past that childbirth tends to slip toward the end of the year," an official said.

The cumulative number of births in the first 11 months of last year also edged down 0.2 percent from a year earlier to 403,500, the latest data showed.

South Korea has been trying to push up the birthrate to avoid a decline in the overall working population, increased welfare expenses and damage to its growth potential.

The latest report showed that about 23,600 couples tied the knot in November, a sharp 16.9 percent drop from the year before.

For the January-November period, the number stood at 271,300, a decrease of 5 percent from a year earlier.

The number of divorces also fell by 4.1 percent on-year, or by 400, to 9,300, while there were 22,500 deaths, a dip of 1.3 percent from a year earlier, the statistical office said. (Yonhap)