727,277 babies were born in the country last year, a drop of 5.6% compared to 2022
Japan’s birth rate fell for the 8th consecutive year in 2023, according to data released on Wednesday (June 5, 2024) by the Japanese Ministry of Health. 727,277 babies were born in the country last year, a drop of 5.6% compared to 2022. The number is the lowest in the historical series, which began in 1899. Read the complete of the report, in Japanese (PDF – 2 MB).
The fertility rate – the expected average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime – was 1.2 last year. The number of marriages fell 6% in the period, to 474,717. The drop in the number of marriages is one of the main reasons for the low birth rate, according to Japanese authorities.
The ministry’s chief secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said in an interview with journalists that this is a “critical situation”. According to him, the last opportunity to reverse this trend is in the next 6 years, until 2030.
Hayashi cited economic instability and the difficulty of balancing work with parenthood as reasons why couples choose not to get married or have children.
Also on Wednesday (June 5), Japan’s Parliament approved a series of support for parents. These include expanding access to childcare services and parental leave.
The drop in birth rates and the consequent aging of the population affect Japan’s economy. It is estimated that the country’s population of more than 125 million people will fall by around 30%, to 87 million, by 2070.
The government has set aside 5.3 trillion yen ($34 billion) from the 2024 budget to fund measures to increase the birth rate. It expects to spend 3.6 trillion yen ($23 billion) per year over the next 3 years.
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