Births in Japan hit record low for 10th straight year
The number of children born in Japan in 2025 declined to 705,809, marking the lowest figure since record-keeping began in 1899 and extending the country’s birthrate decline to a 10th consecutive year, according to data released Thursday by the Health Ministry.
The total, which includes foreign residents, represents a 2.1% drop compared with 2024, News.Az reports, citing Kyodo.
The decline comes amid Japan’s rapidly aging population and growing concerns over the rising cost of living, which has heightened anxiety about child-rearing. However, the pace of the decline slowed compared to the previous year.
Experts attribute the trend not only to economic pressures but also to shifting social priorities. Increasingly, people are choosing to marry and have children later in life, or opting not to marry at all.
Japan’s overall population decline also showed no signs of easing. Preliminary figures from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare indicate that the natural decrease — the gap between births and deaths — reached a record 899,845 in 2025.
The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had previously projected that annual births, including those of foreign residents, would not fall below 710,000 until 2042, underscoring how rapidly demographic trends are shifting.
Separate ministry data released in June last year showed that births among Japanese nationals alone fell to 680,000 in 2024, marking the first time the figure dropped below 700,000.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
