The number of babies born in Japan last year decreased for the ninth consecutive year, hitting a record low, according to data released by the Health Ministry on Thursday.
The faster-than-expected decline suggests that government efforts have not been successful in addressing the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birth rates.
In 2024, 720,998 babies were born in Japan, a 5% drop from the previous year, marking the lowest number of births since the country began recording statistics in 1899.
“We believe the decline in births has not been effectively mitigated,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, noting that the government would continue to expand childcare programs, offer subsidies for child-rearing households, and promote salary increases and matchmaking support.
This figure, which includes babies of foreign nationals born in Japan, arrived 15 years earlier than predicted. The number of births among Japanese nationals alone is expected to fall below 700,000 for the first time when it is published later this year.
The report came just as South Korea announced a rebound in its birth rate in 2024, the first increase in nine years, largely due to a rise in marriages among couples who had delayed weddings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Japanese data also revealed that the number of marriages in 2024 was 499,999, marking a 2.2% increase from 2023, which had seen a record low in marriage numbers over the past 90 years.
Experts argue that improving the economic outlook, job opportunities, and gender equality is crucial to encourage young people to marry and have children.
Surveys indicate that many younger Japanese are reluctant to marry or start families due to poor job prospects, the high cost of living that outpaces wage growth, and corporate cultures that do not support both parents working.
Japan’s population is projected to decline by about 30%, reaching 87 million by 2070, with nearly 40% of people aged 65 or older.
