The number of births in 2024 was 686,061, down 41,227 (5.7%) from 2023 and the lowest since records began in 1899, figures from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare have revealed.
The total fertility rate, indicating the number of children a woman has in her lifetime, fell by 0.05 points to a record low of 1.15, below the rate of 2.1 needed to keep the population stable. In 2024, 1.6 million deaths were recorded – up 1.9% from the year before.
However, the number of marriages – a major factor behind births in a country where relatively few children are born out of wedlock – rose for the first time in two years to 485,063, up by 10,322 from 2023.
If these trends persist, Japan’s population of 124 million is projected to fall to 87 million by 2070, when 40% of its population will be aged 65 or above.
AloJapan.com