Japan birth rate hits record low

Data suggests rate could continue to drop

Leonie Chao-Fong
Friday 04 June 2021 16:44 EDT
Comments
A woman wearing a protective face mask pushes a baby stroller outside the Osaka City Juso Hospital
A woman wearing a protective face mask pushes a baby stroller outside the Osaka City Juso Hospital (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The number of newborn babies in Japan fell to a record low last year as couples put off getting married and starting a family amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Data released on Thursday by the Japanese government shows the number of babies born in 2020 fell to 840,832, down 2.8 per cent or 24,407 compared to 2019.

It is the first time the country has recorded fewer than 900,000 births since records began.

The number of registered marriages in Japan has also fallen by 12.3 per cent, to 525,490, a post-war record, the health ministry said. The country has a total population of around 126 million.

The country’s fertility rate, which is the expected number of births per woman, fell to 1.34. In its capital Tokyo, the birth rate is at 1.13 – the lowest in the country.

The records also suggest the birth rate could decline even further, with the number of newborns falling 9.2 per cent in the January to March period.

The data suggests people are putting off getting married and starting a family amid financial instability as a result of the pandemic.

Japan has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world and the number of births has consistently fallen since 1973.

Politicians have raised concerns over the effect of the declining birth rate on the country’s economy in areas including the job and housing markets.

Experts say Japan’s shrinking population can be attributed to young people focusing on their careers and abstaining from sex and marriage, while senior citizens are living longer than ever.

The age of people giving birth to a child is also increasing, with the average age at the time of a first child being 30.7 years.

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister from 2012-2020, previously described the low birth rate as a “national crisis” and promised a series of reforms aimed at helping alleviate burdens on families which discourage them from having children.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in