Japanese birth rate falls to record low as deaths hit record high
The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 marking the ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday.
Births were down 5 per cent on the year, despite measures in 2023 by the government of Fumio Kishida, the former prime minister, to boost the rate. A record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born.
The stark figures underscore the growing issue of a rapidly ageing and shrinking Japanese population.
Fertility rates in neighbouring South Korea rose for the first time in nine years in 2024 after the rollout of new measures encouraging young people to marry and have children, however, the trend is yet to spread to Japan.
Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute, said the country's falling birth rate was linked to fewer marriages.
Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2 per cent to 499,999 in 2024, that only came after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7 per cent in 2020.
Fujinami said: 'The impact could linger on in 2025 as well.'
Unlike in Western countries, a small proportion of every 100 babies are born out of wedlock in Japan, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriage and births.
The increase in South Korea's fertility rate, from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 in 2024, has raised hopes that the neighbouring nation's demographic crisis may have turned a corner.
The most recent corresponding data for Japan puts the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life at 1.2 as of 2023.
Mr Fujinami warned it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the two countries' figures, but said it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close the gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children.
Experts believe South Korea's up-tick in birth rates came after increased government support in the areas of work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign encouraging businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood.
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