Japan's births in 2024 drop below 700,000 for 1st time

TOKYO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of births in Japan in 2024 fell below 700,000 for the first time since statistics were first compiled in 1899, marking a decline for the ninth straight year, government data showed Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 686,061 babies were born to Japanese nationals in 2024, down 5.7 percent, or 41,227, from the previous year.

Japan's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is estimated to bear during her lifetime, also fell to a record low of 1.15, down from 1.20 in 2023, the ministry said.

The full-year figures exclude babies born to foreign nationals.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,605,298 deaths were reported in 2024, up 29,282 from 2023, marking the highest number in the postwar period.

The overall population decline, deaths minus births, reached a record 919,237, declining for 18 years in a row.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research had estimated that births would not drop to the 680,000 level until 2039.■