Thursday, February 27, 2025 - Births in Japan hit another record low in 2024, marking the ninth consecutive year of decline as young people delay marriage and the elderly population continues to rise, government data showed Thursday, February 27.
The latest figures highlight the severe demographic challenges facing
the world’s fourth-largest economy, where a shrinking workforce is increasingly
burdened with the costs of supporting a rapidly growing elderly population.
In 2024, a total of 720,988 babies were born in Japan, including those
born to foreign nationals, representing a five percent drop from the 758,631
births recorded in 2023, according to preliminary data from the health
ministry.
The number of births has now fallen to the lowest level since the
government began tracking the data in 1899. Meanwhile, deaths have more than
doubled the number of births, rising 1.8 percent from 2023 to reach 1.62
million.
Japan’s overall population stood at 123.54 million this month, down 0.46
percent from the previous year, according to data from the internal affairs
ministry.
The decline in birth rates contrasts sharply with neighboring South
Korea, where data released on Wednesday showed an increase in the number of
babies born per 1,000 people in 2024—the first rise in over a decade.
Japan's birth rate peaked at 2.1 million in 1973. Prime Minister
Shigeru Ishiba has emphasized that addressing the country’s population crisis
is one of his top priorities.
However, challenges such as the high cost of education, a stagnant
economy, and evolving lifestyles have discouraged many young people from
starting families.
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