Births Hit a Record Low in Japan, Deaths a Record High

Population falls for a 15th year in a row
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 25, 2024 6:18 AM CDT
Japan's Population Falls for 15th Year in a Row
People holding parasols sit on a bench at a park in Tokyo.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Japan's total population marked the 15th straight year of decline, according to government data released Wednesday, dropping by more than a half-million people as the population ages and births remain low. Births in Japan hit a record low of 730,000 last year. The 1.58 million deaths last year were also a record high. Japan's population was 124.9 million as of Jan. 1. The data released by the Internal Affairs Ministry also showed that the 11% increase in foreign residents helped their population surpass 3 million for the first time. They now make up nearly 3% of the total population and are mostly of working age from 15 to 64.

Surveys show that younger Japanese are increasingly reluctant to marry or have children, discouraged by bleak job prospects, the high cost of living—which rises at a faster pace than salaries—and a gender-biased corporate culture that adds a burden on women and working mothers, the AP reports.

  • The government earmarked $34 billion as part of the 2024 budget to fund incentives for young couples to have more children, such as increasing subsidies for childcare and education, and is expected to spend $23 billion in tax money annually over the next three years.
  • Experts say the measures are largely meant for married couples who plan to have or already have children, and don't address the growing number of young people reluctant to get married.
  • Japan's population is projected to fall by about 30%, to 87 million by 2070, when four out of every 10 people will be 65 years of age or older.
(More Japan stories.)

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