This is the 5185th most frequent Korean word.
늘어나
"늘어나" means "to stretch" or "to increase."
The term '늘어나' here conveys the concept of quantitative growth or expansion, in this context regarding population number growth.
인구가 꾸준히 늘어나고 있습니다.
The population is steadily increasing.
In this sentence, '늘어나' signifies the physical stretching or elongation of a material — the fabric in the pants.
바지 허리가 늘어나서 헐렁해졌어요.
The waistband of the pants has stretched and become loose.
Here, '늘어날' indicates an increase or proliferation in the number or intensity of issues or problems.