Japan’s ministry of health on February 27 reported the population of births for children born in Japan plunged to a historical low of 720,988 during 2024, which represents the ninth consecutive year in the decline of Japan’s births. The downward trend is problematic given the predicament of aging citizens and declining worker population.
While the administration of then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida worked to encourage childbearing, the number of births fell 5 percent from the previous year. In contrast, deaths in Japan reached a record 1.62 million, or more than two deaths for every birth.
One of the key drivers of this continued decline is the decline in marriages, a trend that has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Takumi Fujinami, a Japan Research Institute economist, said that while marriages increased modestly in 2024—2.2 percent to 499,999—the increase comes after significant declines in recent years, including a 12.7 percent decrease in 2020. Fujinami warned that the impact of these trends may carry over into 2025.
In Japan, non-marital birth is less common, therefore the decline in marriage has a direct influence on the birth rate. This crisis in population is the opposite in South KoreaSouth Korean president skips corruption watchdog appearance where the fertility rate went up marginally for the first time in nine years. Data indicates South Korea’s rate went up to 0.75 children per woman in 2024 compared to 0.72 for the previous year, which was potential early signs of reversing the country’s population crisis.
Experts attribute South Korea’s modest revival to government initiatives to promote work-family balance, enhance the support for childcare, and provide affordable housing, as well as business initiatives to encourage family building. Fujinami warned, however, that it is premature to make a direct comparison between the two nations. The two countries must improve job prospects and bridge gender gaps if they are to reverse declining birth rates.
Japan, just like South Korea, has put in policies in an attempt to deal with its population crisis, but all this while these policies have not demonstrated any substantial results. Despite still having deaths outpacing births at a significant level, experts warn that Japan’s aging issue is going to get worse unless drastic reforms occur.
