TOKYO – The number of children born in Japan in 2025 fell from a year earlier to 705,809, the fewest since data became available in 1899 and hitting a new low for the 10th consecutive year, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing Health Ministry data released on Thursday.
The figure, including foreign residents, was down 2.1 per cent from 2024 amid a rapidly greying population and increased anxiety over child-rearing due to the higher cost of living amid inflation. The pace of decline, however, slowed from a year earlier.
In addition to economic anxiety, more people appear to be choosing to marry and have children later in life, or not to marry at all, due to a shift in priorities, experts pointed out.
Population decline showed no signs of abating, with the natural decrease, subtracting the number of births from deaths, hitting the highest ever at 899,845, according to preliminary data released by the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry.
The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had projected that the number of births, including those of foreign residents in the country, would not drop below 710,000 until 2042.
In separate data released by the ministry in June last year, the number of babies born to Japanese nationals in 2024 fell to 680,000, dropping below 700,000 for the first time. - BERNAMA