TOKYO: Japan’s birthrate crisis deepened in 2024, with government data revealing fewer than 700,000 babies were born for the first time ever. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirmed just 686,061 births last year — a sharp 5.7% drop from 2023.
This marks the ninth consecutive annual decline in both the number of babies born and the national fertility rate. Worryingly, the population drop is now 15 years ahead of earlier forecasts, prompting fresh concern about the future of the country’s workforce, economy, and pension system.
Experts link the falling birthrate to delayed marriages, economic uncertainty, and a younger generation prioritising careers and personal freedom over starting families. High costs of childcare and limited support for working parents are also cited as key reasons.
Despite government incentives like cash handouts, fertility treatments subsidies, and increased parental leave policies, the numbers continue to fall. In many urban areas, young couples say these measures simply don’t go far enough to ease financial and social pressures.
Japan’s total fertility rate — the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime — also dipped to 1.20 in 2024, far below the replacement level of 2.07. If the trend continues, demographers warn of a shrinking, ageing population, with over a third of citizens projected to be over 65 by 2050.
The government says reversing this trend remains a top priority, but with fewer young people choosing to marry or start families, the solution remains elusive.
