Nearly a million more deaths than births in Japan last year
17 days ago
- #demographics
- #Japan
- #population-decline
- Japan recorded nearly a million more deaths than births in 2024, marking the steepest annual population decline since 1968.
- Births hit a record low of 686,061, while deaths reached nearly 1.6 million, resulting in a decline of 908,574 Japanese nationals.
- Japan's population has declined for 16 consecutive years, straining pension and healthcare systems.
- Foreign residents reached a record high of 3.6 million, making up nearly 3% of the population.
- Elderly people (65+) account for nearly 30% of the population, the second-highest globally after Monaco.
- The working-age population (15-64) has dropped to about 60%, exacerbating labor shortages.
- Nearly 4 million homes have been abandoned over the past two decades due to rural depopulation.
- Government incentives (childcare, parental leave, housing subsidies) have failed to significantly boost birth rates.
- High living costs, stagnant wages, and rigid work culture deter family formation, especially for women facing gender role pressures.
- Japan's fertility rate has been low since the 1970s, meaning recovery would take decades even with policy improvements.