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▼ Number Of Births In Japan Falls To Record Low For 10th Straight Year
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The number of births in Japan fell to a record low last year, extending the trend for the 10th year in a row, according to a summary released by the health ministry on Thursday.
Preliminary data from the ministry shows that 705,809 babies were born in 2025, including those born in Japan to foreign nationals — down 15,179, or 2.1%, from a year earlier. The figure marks the 10th consecutive annual decline, and the lowest level since comparable records began in 1899.
Despite government efforts to reverse the plummeting birth rate, the annual number of births has neared 700,000 more than 15 years earlier than was projected in a 2023 forecast by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
While the rate has slowed from the over 5% annual drops recorded between 2022 and 2024, the longer-term trend remains stark. Over the past decade, annual births have fallen roughly 30%.
Deaths totaled 1,605,654, down 0.8% from a year earlier and marking the first decline in five years. Even so, the natural decrease in the population (the gap between births and deaths) widened to a record 899,845.
Births fell in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Seven prefectures, including Shimane, Yamagata and Aomori, recorded declines of more than 5%.
Tokyo saw births rise 1.3% to 88,518, an increase of 4,311 from a year earlier and the first gain in nine years.
Ishikawa Prefecture also posted an increase, with births rising from 6,078 to 6,515. The rebound follows a sharp drop the previous year linked to the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, on Jan. 1, and heavy rain damage.
About 30% of all births nationwide occurred in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which comprises Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures.
The number of marriages rose 1.1% to 505,656 in 2025, topping 500,000 for the first time in three years and marking a second straight annual increase as the wedding ceremony business recovers from the slump caused by COVID-19 restrictions. Divorces fell by 6,983 to 182,969.
Japan’s rapidly graying population and declining birth rate could further strain its social security and pension systems, which relies on contributions by working generations.
In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said, “The government recognizes that many people’s desire to have children has not been sufficiently fulfilled, and we haven’t been able to reverse the declining birth rate.”
“By achieving sustainable economic growth, raising incomes for younger generations and ensuring stable employment, we aim to alleviate anxieties about the future ... to create a society in which anyone who wishes to have children can do so, and raise them with peace of mind.”
Declining birth rates are a common issue worldwide. In France, known for its comprehensive support for child-rearing, deaths were higher than births in 2025 for the first time since World War II.
Preliminary data from the ministry shows that 705,809 babies were born in 2025, including those born in Japan to foreign nationals — down 15,179, or 2.1%, from a year earlier. The figure marks the 10th consecutive annual decline, and the lowest level since comparable records began in 1899.
Despite government efforts to reverse the plummeting birth rate, the annual number of births has neared 700,000 more than 15 years earlier than was projected in a 2023 forecast by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.
While the rate has slowed from the over 5% annual drops recorded between 2022 and 2024, the longer-term trend remains stark. Over the past decade, annual births have fallen roughly 30%.
Deaths totaled 1,605,654, down 0.8% from a year earlier and marking the first decline in five years. Even so, the natural decrease in the population (the gap between births and deaths) widened to a record 899,845.
Births fell in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Seven prefectures, including Shimane, Yamagata and Aomori, recorded declines of more than 5%.
Tokyo saw births rise 1.3% to 88,518, an increase of 4,311 from a year earlier and the first gain in nine years.
Ishikawa Prefecture also posted an increase, with births rising from 6,078 to 6,515. The rebound follows a sharp drop the previous year linked to the impact of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, on Jan. 1, and heavy rain damage.
About 30% of all births nationwide occurred in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which comprises Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures.
The number of marriages rose 1.1% to 505,656 in 2025, topping 500,000 for the first time in three years and marking a second straight annual increase as the wedding ceremony business recovers from the slump caused by COVID-19 restrictions. Divorces fell by 6,983 to 182,969.
Japan’s rapidly graying population and declining birth rate could further strain its social security and pension systems, which relies on contributions by working generations.
In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said, “The government recognizes that many people’s desire to have children has not been sufficiently fulfilled, and we haven’t been able to reverse the declining birth rate.”
“By achieving sustainable economic growth, raising incomes for younger generations and ensuring stable employment, we aim to alleviate anxieties about the future ... to create a society in which anyone who wishes to have children can do so, and raise them with peace of mind.”
Declining birth rates are a common issue worldwide. In France, known for its comprehensive support for child-rearing, deaths were higher than births in 2025 for the first time since World War II.
- 27/2 18:52
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