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Japan's Births and Fertility Rate Plummet to Record Low in 2023

Jun 5, 2024 1 min read

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Japan's birth rate has reached a record low for the eighth consecutive year, with the total fertility rate dropping to 1.20 in 2023 from 1.26 in 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This rate is significantly below the 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain the population. The annual number of births fell by 43,482 to 727,277, marking the lowest figure since records began in 1947. The country's natural population decline, defined as the number of deaths minus births, also hit a record high of 848,659.

Factors contributing to the declining birth rate include economic instability, challenges in balancing work and child-rearing, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional disparities were observed, with Okinawa recording the highest fertility rate at 1.60, while Tokyo had the lowest at 0.99. In response, the Japanese government has approved revisions to laws to provide more financial support, improve access to childcare services, and expand parental leave benefits. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has identified the declining birth rate as an urgent risk to Japanese society. Among the initiatives is a dating app developed by the Tokyo city government, requiring users to prove their annual salary and willingness to marry.

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