Japan's birth rate hits record low

According to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of newborns in 2023 fell 5.1 percent to 758,631, below the previous record of 800,000 in 2022. The population, including foreign residents, fell by 831,872 as deaths outpaced births. The decline came much earlier than forecast by the government's National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, which estimated the birth rate would fall below 760,000 in 2035.

The ministry's data also showed that the number of deaths in 2023 hit a record high of 1,590,503, while the number of marriages fell to its lowest level since the end of World War II, at 489,281. Meanwhile, the number of divorces rose by 4,695 to 187,798. The sharp decline in the birth rate is attributed to delayed marriages and an increase in the number of single people.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration sees the period until 2030 as the “last chance” to reverse the trend. To boost the marriage rate, the government must carry out labor reforms, such as raising wages in rural areas, and eliminate the gender gap, said Kanako Amano, a senior researcher at the NLI Research Institute.

The Japanese government is planning to submit to the Diet relevant legislative proposals, including a bill to increase child allowances, to reverse the decline in the birthrate.

The ministry is expected to release official population data next June, excluding foreign residents.