Last year in Japan, the number of births dropped to 720,988, marking the 9th consecutive year of decline in newborns. According to Kyodo News, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in Japan released statistics on birth rates in the country. The statistics revealed that the number of babies born in 2024 decreased by 5% compared to 2023, reaching 720,988. As a result, the continuous decline in the number of newborns in the country for the past 9 years was highlighted. Officials pointed out that this decline is related to individuals’ concerns about the cost of living and raising children, as well as the increasing age of marriage among the younger population. In 2023, the number of babies born in Japan had dropped to 758,631.

DECLINING BIRTH RATES IN JAPAN
While the number of newborns in Japan peaked at 2.69 million in 1949, it decreased to 2.09 million in 1973, and further dropped to 1.5 million in 1983. In 2016, the number of newborns in the country fell below 1 million for the first time. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had predicted that the number of newborns would drop below 760,000 by 2035. The Tokyo government is taking various measures to increase the declining birth rate.