Number of Japanese Births Continues to Fall in 2024
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Preliminary demographic statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare show that in 2024 there were 720,988 births in Japan. The amount was 37,643 fewer than the previous year and marked a ninth consecutive year of decline. In 2022, the total dipped below 800,000 for the first time since records were first kept in 1899, and is now on track to fall below 700,000. The decline in the number of women in their childbearing years and the slump in marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic are thought to be core factors.
The preliminary statistics include figures for foreigners living in Japan and Japanese nationals living abroad, whereas the final statistics (to be announced in June) will be lower as it is based only on the number of Japanese nationals living in Japan.
Japan’s Demographics
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | 720,988 | 758,631 |
| Deaths | 1,618,684 | 1,590,503 |
| Natural population change | -897,696 | -831,872 |
| Marriages | 499,999 | 489,281 |
| Divorces | 189,952 | 187,798 |
Created by Nippon.com based on demographic statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Statistics for both 2023 and 2024 are preliminary estimates.
In 2024, the number of deaths increased by 28,181 to a new high of 1,618,684. The natural population decline, which is the difference between the number of births and deaths, surpassed 600,000 for the first time in 2021, but population decline has only accelerated since then, reaching 782,305 in 2022, 831,872 in 2023, and 897,696 in 2024.
During the first baby boom (1947–49), the number of annual births in Japan reached 2.5 million, and births per year exceeded 2 million during the second baby boom (1971–74). Since then, the number has consistently declined, without a spike in births when the second baby-boom generation reached the age to have their own children. The number of births dropped below the number of deaths for the first time in 2007, and the natural population decline has subsequently continued to increase.
While the number of marriages rose by 10,718 to 499,999 in 2024, it remains low. Given Japan’s disapproving attitude toward premarital or extramarital pregnancies, the number of births is unlikely to rebound as long as the number of marriages shows no significant increase.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)