Number of Children in Japan Falls for 44th Straight Year

May 06, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan’s child population has declined for the 44th consecutive year, reaching the lowest level since comparable records began in 1950, according to government estimates released ahead of Children's Day on May 5th.

As of April 1st, the number of children under the age of 15 stood at 13.66 million, a drop of 350,000 from the previous year, according to population statistics compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The total includes 6.99 million boys and 6.66 million girls, with boys outnumbering girls by 330,000.

Children now make up just 11.1% of Japan’s total population, marking the 51st consecutive year of decline since the second baby boom era and setting a new record low for the ratio.

By prefecture, Okinawa had the highest proportion of children at 15.8%, while Akita had the lowest at 8.8%.

Source: TBS

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