For the first time ever, Japan’s birth rate dropped below 700,000 last year, according to government figures released on Wednesday.
According to the figures, the rapidly aging country welcomed 686,061 babies in 2024, 41,227 fewer than in 2023. It was the lowest number since 1899, when records first started to be kept.
The World Bank claims that, after tiny Monaco, Japan has the second-oldest population in the world.
In an attempt to buck the trend, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has referred to the situation as a “quiet emergency” and promised family-friendly policies like more flexible work schedules.
Japan’s total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman is projected to have, also dropped to a historic low of 1.15, according to data released by the health ministry on Wednesday.
