1.2 children per woman

Japan’s birth rate falls to record low

(Bild: AFP)

Japan was once again unable to halt the trend of falling birth rates last year. According to preliminary figures published by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday for the year 2023, a Japanese woman will statistically only have 1.2 children.

This represents the eighth consecutive year of decline and the lowest level since data collection began.

Asia's second-largest economy has been one of the countries with the lowest birth rates in the world for years. At the same time, the country is ageing faster than any other industrialized nation. The island kingdom also recorded a natural population decline in 2023.

Facts

According to the data, the number of live births fell by 5.6 percent compared to the previous year to 727,277. At the same time, almost 1.58 million people died. The population is around 124 million.

Government offers incentives - so far without success
According to NHK, Japan's parliament passed a law on Wednesday to help stop the trend of falling birth rates. Among other things, the income threshold for households to receive child benefit is to be removed in future.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had declared boosting the birth rate to be the most important task. However, all attempts by the government to do so have so far been unsuccessful.