TOKYO - The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has revealed that Japan's birth rate in 2023 was the lowest on record, with approximately 730,000 births. The number of marriages also fell to around 470,000, dropping below 500,000 for the first time since 1933.
The fertility rate, indicating the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, reached a record low of 1.20.
According to the Ministry's demographic survey, the number of births among Japanese nationals in 2023 was 727,277, a decrease of 43,482 from the previous year, marking the eighth consecutive year of record-low births.
In contrast, the number of deaths increased for the third consecutive year to a record high of 1,575,936.
The gap between births and deaths widened to 848,659, the largest decrease on record.
This marks the 17th consecutive year that the number of deaths has exceeded the number of births, resulting in a natural decline in population.
The number of marriages also decreased by about 30,000 from the previous year, totaling 474,717.
This is the first time since 1933 that the number of marriages has fallen below 500,000.
The average age of first-time marriages is 31.1 years for husbands and 29.7 years for wives.
The total fertility rate, which indicates the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, was 1.20, the lowest since 1947.
By prefecture, Tokyo had the lowest fertility rate at 0.99, falling below 1 for the first time, followed by Hokkaido at 1.06 and Miyagi Prefecture at 1.07.
Okinawa had the highest fertility rate at 1.60, followed by Nagasaki and Miyazaki Prefectures at 1.49.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated, 'Various factors are hindering the realization of marriage, childbirth, and childcare hopes. We aim to address the declining birthrate through measures such as improving income levels for the younger generation.'
Source: ANN
