The latest survey results are in line with recent developments centered on fewer babies being born in the country and a tendency for people to put off getting married.

As an increasing number of women pursue careers, they get married and have children at older ages, or give up on making a lasting commitment and having babies.

The average age that a woman had her first child was 32.6 last year, up from 32.4 years in 2016. Some 29.4 percent of first-time moms were over 35 years of age in 2017, up from 26.4 percent the year before.

The trend of declining births is not new in South Korea, where an increasing number of women work and want to follow their careers.

Based on the 2016 data, South Korea's fertility rate was the lowest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, followed by Spain and Italy, both with 1.34.

The average birthrate of OECD countries stood at 1.68 as of 2015.

The smoking rate for South Korean men aged 19 or older fell this year, a sign that the country's strong anti-smoking campaign is taking effect.

The rate was 37.7 percent, down 1.4 percentage points from two years earlier.

In January 2015, South Korea increased the price of cigarettes by 80 percent, from 2,500 won ($2.25) per pack to 4,500 won, in an effort to curb smoking. (Yonhap)