Birth and mortality rates in Japan

Population of Japan

Main article: Population of Japan

2022

Japan ranked first in proportion of childless women

Japan tops the ranking of countries with the most childless women in middle age. This is stated in a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the results of which were published in early January 2023.

According to statistics, in Japan, 27% of women born in 1970 did not have a single child of their own by the age of 50. This is the highest among the 17 countries with comparable data. For comparison: in Finland, which is in second place in the share of childless women, the value is approximately 20.7%. Austria and Spain took third and fourth places, respectively. OECD data does not include Germany, but the country's official statistics show that 21% of women born in 1969 remain childless.

In Japan, 27% of women born in 1970 did not have a single child of their own by the age of 50

Information about women born in 1965 was also analyzed. In this age group, Japan was again in the lead: the childlessness rate was recorded at 22.1%. Moreover, the Land of the Rising Sun stands out from other states and among the younger generation: it is estimated that from 31.6% to 39.2% of women born in 2000 will remain childless if the situation does not change.

According to the National Institute for Population and Welfare Research (IPSS), Japanese women are often childless because they cannot marry. Difficulties with marriage are the main reason for childlessness among Japanese residents aged 25 to 49 years.

The study says that one of the main obstacles to marriage is the long search for a suitable partner with sufficient financial resources. Unmarried women are more likely to refuse to have children if they have a low income or have not found a chosen one.^[1]

The birth of less than 800 thousand children. This is a record low

Japan's birth rate hit a record low in 2022, and the death rate, by contrast, has increased from 2021 by almost 8% and is heading towards its highest since World War II. This was announced on January 23, 2023 by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, adding that the country is on the verge of being unable to maintain social functions due to a decrease in the birth rate.

In a keynote address to lawmakers, Fumio Kisida said the problem needs to be addressed "now or never," and that it "simply cannot wait any longer." Kisida added that he wants the Japanese government to double its spending on child-related programs and that a new government agency will be set up in April 2023 to address the issue.

Record few babies born in Japan

Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world: according to forecasts of the Japanese Ministry of Health, in 2022, less than 800 thousand births will be registered in the country for the first time since 1899.

Proportion of women born in 1970 without children in countries of the world as of 2023

The country also has one of the highest life spans in the world; in 2020, according to the Japanese government, almost every 1.5 thousand residents of Japan will be aged 100 years and older.

These trends have led to a growing demographic crisis in Japan: a rapidly aging society, a shrinking workforce and not enough young people to fill gaps in a stagnating economy. Experts point to several factors that explain the low birth rate. The country's high cost of living, limited space and lack of childcare support in cities make parenting difficult, meaning fewer couples are having children. Urban couples are also often far from distant relatives who could provide support.

Attitudes towards marriage and family creation have also changed in recent years: more and more couples have postponed both for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some point to the pessimism with which young people in Japan look to the future, many of them frustrated by hard work and economic stagnation.

Since the beginning of 2000, the Japanese government has put forward various initiatives to solve the problem of reducing the population in the country. Including new measures to expand childcare services and improve housing conditions for families with children. Some rural towns even started paying couples there to have children.

By 2053, the population of Japan, according to forecasts of the Ministry of Health of Japan, will decrease to 100 million people, and by 2065 - to 88 million, 38% of them will be people over 60 years old. The rapid aging of the nation along with a low birth rate promises the state a lot of problems in the near future. For example, the Japanese working for 2023 in old age may lose payments in the amount that pensioners receive by January 2023.^[2]

2021: Record drop in newborn numbers, to 842,897

Japan In 2021, a record few children were born in history. This was affected by the suspension of weddings due to the coronavirus pandemic () COVID-19 and the postponement of couples' plans for parenthood.

health care The number of newborns dropped to an all-time low of 842,897 in 2021, marking a steady decline trend since 2016, according to Japanese ministry data released on February 18, 2022. Compared to 2020, this figure decreased by 29,786 people, or 3.4%. Reducing the population can make it difficult to maintain Japan's welfare system, which already places a heavy burden on the state treasury.

Japan gives birth to record few children ever

The death toll was 1,452,289, 67,745 more than in 2020, and the highest since the end of World War II in 1945. This figure, which fell for the first time since 2011 in 2020, rose slightly in the latest statistics. As a result, a record natural population decline was recorded in Japan, where the number of deaths minus the number of births was 609,392 people.

The number of couples married in 2021 was also down by 23,341 from the previous year, at 514,242, the lowest in the post-war period. Meanwhile, 187,854 couples divorced in 2021, down 878 from 2020.

Preliminary data includes foreign nationals living in Japan, while final data, which is released in June each year, excludes foreign nationals, leading to lower rates. Preliminary data for newborns in 2020 amounted to 872 thousand, and the final data published later in June 2021 amounted to 840 thousand. The final figure for 2021 is about 810 thousand.^[3]

2019: Suicides per 100,000 people

Число самоубийств на 100 тыс. человек population some countries, 2019

2018: Road accident deaths

The number of deaths on the roads per 100 thousand vehicles. Data for 2018

2016: Number of deaths from opioid use disorders

Number of deaths from opioid use disorders per 100,000 people (2016)