The number of childbirths in South Korea dropped for the third month in a row in February amid a low birth and late marriage trend, government data showed Tuesday.

About 34,900 babies were born in February, down 2.2 percent, or 800, from 35,700 a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea.

The February figure also marked a 0.8 percent slip from 39,500 the previous month, but the rate of drop slowed from a 5.7-percent on-year cut tallied in January.

"It is part of a nationwide trend in South Korea that the age of first marriage is moving up and women in their early 30s have less babies," a Statistics Korea official said.

The South Korean government has been taking a wide range of measures to encourage its people to have more children, also offering various incentives that include cash rewards. The chronically low birthrate and aging population are feared to hurt Asia's fourth-largest economy by reducing the workforce and driving up welfare costs.

Meanwhile, the number of marriages gained 7.7 percent on-year to 22,500 in February, while 8,100 couples divorced, marking a 3.8-percent rise over the cited period.

The number of deaths came to 24,600 in February, up 6 percent from a year earlier, the report showed. (Yonhap)