Birth Rate in Japan Plummets to Record Low

The birth rate in Japan, which has seen a sharp decline for years, has reached another record low as the government intensifies efforts to encourage young people to marry and start families, even launching its own matchmaking program.

According to new data released on Friday by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, only 727,277 births were registered last year in the country, which has a population of 123.9 million. The fertility rate, defined as the total number of births a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, has fallen from 1.26 to 1.20.

Experts note that Japan's birth rate has been significantly below the stable replacement level for half a century. It declined from that level after the 1973 oil crisis, which plunged the economy into recession and has not since recovered. In recent years, the downward trend has accelerated, with the number of deaths exceeding the number of births each year, leading to a decline in the overall population. This has far-reaching implications for Japan's workforce, economy, social security system, and social structure.

According to the health ministry, 1.57 million deaths were registered in the country in 2023, which more than doubled the number of births. Last year, the number of marriages in Japan decreased by 30,000, while divorces increased.

Experts suggest that the decline is expected to continue for at least a few decades and is partly irreversible due to the demographic structure of the country. Even if Japan were to raise its birth rate tomorrow, the population will continue to decline until the ratio of young people to the elderly is balanced.