Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Japan’s 2024 births dip below 700,000 as fertility rate sinks to 1.15

Officials warn the decline could deepen economic pressures in one of the world’s oldest societies.

People walk along a pedestrian crossing at a shopping street Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A mother takes her child to take part in the "crying baby sumo" match at Sensoji temple in Tokyo on April 28, 2024.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Health Ministry data shows Japan recorded 686,061 births in 2024, a 5.7% drop that marked the first time annual births fell below 700,000 since records began in 1899.
  • The total fertility rate declined to a postwar low of 1.15, extending a nine-year downward trend in childbearing.
  • With 1.6 million deaths recorded, Japan’s population shrank by roughly 919,000, marking an 18th consecutive year of net loss.
  • Experts attribute the slide to delayed marriage, high living costs, bleak job prospects and gender-biased workplace culture.
  • Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has rolled out expanded child subsidies, tuition-free high school and enhanced parental leave compensation, but uptake has yet to reverse the demographic downturn.