The number of newborn babies in South Korea continued its double-digit slide in August as the country is expected to experience record-breaking low childbirths in 2017, government data showed Wednesday.

About 30,200 babies were born in the month, down 10.9 percent, or 3,700, from 33,900 tallied a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

The August figure surpassed the 30,000 mark for the first time in three months since May when it hit a monthly 30,300.

South Korea has seen its monthly childbirths decline for nine straight months since last December, accelerating the low birthrate trend.

The number of newborn kids is expected to reach around 360,000 for 2017, breaking the current annual record low of 406,200 babies tallied in 2016.

Coupled with a rapidly aging population, low births can reduce the available workforce in Asia's fourth-largest economy and drive up welfare costs, undermining the growth potential of the economy.

Meanwhile, the statistics data also showed that the number of marriages fell 12.6 percent on-year, or 2,900, to 20,100 in August, while 9,500 couples divorced over the cited period, up 1.1 percent from a year earlier.

The number of deaths came to 22,800 for the month, up 0.9 percent from a year earlier, the data showed. (Yonhap)