Last year, Japan experienced a historic decline in birth rates, with the total number of births dropping below 700,000 for the first time on record, as revealed by government statistics on Wednesday.
A total of 686,061 babies were born in Japan in 2024, representing a decrease of 41,227 compared to 2023. This marks the lowest figure in the country’s recorded history since 1899.
Currently, Japan ranks as the country with the second-oldest population globally, following the small nation of Monaco, according to the World Bank.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has termed this demographic shift a “quiet emergency,” committing to implement family-friendly policies, such as more flexible work schedules, in hopes of reversing this trend.
According to the health ministry’s latest data, Japan’s total fertility rate—indicating how many children a woman is projected to have over her lifetime—has also reached an unprecedented low of 1.15.
The ministry reported that Japan recorded 1.6 million deaths in 2024, which is a rise of 1.9% from the previous year.
Ishiba has urged for efforts to revitalize rural areas, where many aging communities are becoming increasingly isolated.
Data from the internal affairs ministry indicates that in over 20,000 communities across Japan, most residents are aged 65 and older.
As the country of 123 million faces intensified labor shortages due to its aging populace, strict immigration policies exacerbate the situation.
In South Korea, the fertility rate for 2024 is even lower than Japan’s at 0.75, continuing to be among the lowest globally, though it reflects a slight increase from the previous year due to more marriages.
