研究人员：韩国去年出生率上升情况尚不明确
📖 逐句对照翻译
In 2024, the number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years.
2024年，韩国新生儿数量九年来首次出现增长。
The change is welcome news for a country that is dealing with serious population problems.
对于正在应对严重人口问题的国家来说，这一变化是个好消息。
South Korea’s statistics agency said recently that 238,300 babies were born last year, an increase of 8,300 from a year earlier.
韩国统计机构最近表示，去年共有23.83万名婴儿出生，比上一年增加了8300名。
The agency said the country’s fertility rate — the average number of babies born to each woman in her reproductive years — was 0.75 in 2024, up from 0.72 in 2023.
该机构表示，2024年该国的生育率——即每位育龄妇女平均生育的婴儿数量——为0.75，较2023年的0.72有所上升。
The data represents the first time that the yearly number of births has increased since 2015.
这些数据表明，自2015年以来，年出生人数首次出现增长。
Choi Yoon Kyung is an expert with the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education.
崔允京是韩国儿童保育与教育研究院的专家。
Choi told the Associated Press that researchers must wait for more data over the next few years to see if increased births were driven by “structural changes.”
崔告诉美联社，研究人员必须等待未来几年的更多数据，以判断出生率的增加是否由“结构性变化”所驱动。
Park Hyun Jung is with the government agency Statistics Korea.
朴贤贞在政府机构韩国统计局工作。
Park said the agency believes the rise is partly due to an increase in marriages following postponements of such plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
朴表示，该机构认为这一增长部分是由于新冠疫情后结婚人数增加，此前人们的结婚计划因疫情而被推迟。
Park said another reason for the increase is that a growing number of people entered their early 30s.
帕克表示，增长的另一个原因是越来越多的人步入30岁出头。
She also noted a government study that shows a small increase in the number of young people hoping to have children after marriage.
她还指出，一项政府研究表明，希望婚后生育的年轻人数量略有增加。
Official data show South Korea’s fertility rate has been the lowest in the developed world in recent years.
官方数据显示，近年来韩国的生育率在发达国家中处于最低水平。
In 2022, South Korea was the only country with a fertility rate below one, among members of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
2022年，韩国是总部位于巴黎的经济合作与发展组织中唯一一个生育率低于1的成员国。
The low fertility rate could threaten South Korea’s economic health.
低生育率可能威胁韩国的经济健康。
The country, Asia’s fourth largest economy, could face labor shortages and greater spending on public assistance programs.
作为亚洲第四大经济体，该国可能面临劳动力短缺和公共援助项目支出增加的问题。
South Korea’s central and local governments have been increasingly offering several support programs to those who give birth to children.
韩国中央和地方政府越来越多地为生育子女的人提供多项支持项目。
But experts say that it will be difficult to solve the country’s population problems.
但专家表示，解决该国的人口问题将会很困难。
Many young people say they do not want to have babies.
许多年轻人说他们不想生孩子。
Their reasons include costly housing, low levels of upward social movement, the high costs of raising and educating children, and a culture that requires women to do more of the childcare.
他们的理由包括高昂的住房成本、较低的社会阶层向上流动性、抚养和教育孩子的高昂费用，以及一种要求女性承担更多育儿责任的文化。
Park said that the fertility rate will likely stay on an upward movement at least for another year.
朴表示，生育率至少还会再上升一年。
But observers say it remains to be seen whether the rate will go back down as post-pandemic marriages even out.
但观察人士表示，随着疫情后结婚人数趋于平衡，这一比率是否会回落仍有待观察。
The country’s population structure will also change, with a drop in the number of people in their early 30s.
该国的人口结构也将发生变化，30岁出头的人口数量将会减少。
Some experts argue that the government should pay more attention to supporting young couples who want to have babies.
一些专家认为，政府应更加重视支持想要生育的年轻夫妇。
“There are still people with solid wills to have a family and babies. When we help them realize their hopes, our fertility rate won’t suffer a steep, 45-degree drop,” Choi said.
崔说：“仍然有人坚定地想要组建家庭、生儿育女。当我们帮助他们实现愿望时，我们的生育率就不会呈45度角急剧下降。”
I’m John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
Hyung-Jin Kim reported on this story for the Associated Press.
金亨镇为美联社报道了此事。
John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
约翰·拉塞尔为VOA英语学习频道改编了它。
