Government data showed that Japan’s birth reached another record low in 2024, marking the ninth consecutive year of decline in delayed marriage among young people and the elderly population.
The latest figures highlight the serious demographic challenges facing the world’s fourth largest economy, where the workforce increasingly bears the cost of supporting the rapidly growing older population.
According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Health, a total of 720,988 babies were born in Japan in 2024, including babies from foreign nationals, accounting for 5% of the 758,631 births recorded in 2023.
The number of births has now dropped to a minimum since the government began tracking data in 1899. Meanwhile, the death toll has more than doubled, increasing by 1.8% from 2023 to 1.62 million.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Japan’s total population this month was 125.4 million, down 0.46% from the previous year.
The decline in birth rates is in stark contrast to neighboring South Korea, with data released on Wednesday showing that the number of babies born per 1,000 people increased in 2024, the first increase in more than a decade.
The birth rate in Japan reached 2.1 million in 1973.
But challenges such as high education costs, a stagnant economy and a growing lifestyle have left many young people reluctant to open families.
