Japan population falls by record 726,342 to 125.93 mil. in 2021 amid COVID (2024)

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Japan population falls by record 726,342 to 125.93 mil. in 2021 amid COVID? ›

in 2021 amid COVID. Japan's population declined to 125.93 million as of Jan. 1, down by 726,342 in its biggest drop since comparable data became available in 2013, as deaths again outnumbered births and COVID-19 border restrictions kept foreign resident numbers low, government data showed Tuesday.

Japan's population is rapidly aging due to a low birth rate and changing lifestyles, with the country's population anticipated to fall to 63 million by 2100. In response to this issue, the Japanese government has introduced measures such as increases to the child allowance and financial aid for young couples.

Japan's overall population fell to 125.42 million, a decrease of about 511,000 on the previous year, the study shows. Japan has the fastest-aging population of any post-industrial nation on earth. Its birth rate — the average number of children a woman typically has — started to decline in the 1970s.

Why is Japan's birth rate declining? The number of marriages decreased by 5.9%, totaling 489,281 couples, dropping below half a million for the first time in 90 years. This decline in marriages is considered one of the primary factors contributing to the decrease in births.

Japan is facing its "biggest" crisis as a recent survey shows that the number of babies born in 2023 fell to an all-time new low for an eighth year straight. As per the country's Health and Welfare Ministry, Japan witnessed the birth of 7,58,631 babies last year which was a 5.1 percent decline from 2022.

The government has agreed to increase child allowances and put in additional effort to eradicate child poverty and abuse. New fathers will also be encouraged to take paternity leave and additional funding will go toward pre-school facilities so that working parents are able to return to work.

Japan had a post-war baby boom between 1947 and 1949, followed by a prolonged period of low fertility. These trends resulted in the decline of Japan's population after reaching a peak of 128.1 million in October 2008. In 2014, Japan's population was estimated to be 127 million.

Experts have pointed to Japan's high cost of living, stagnant economy and wages, limited space, and the country's demanding work culture as reasons fewer people are opting to date or marry. Japanese people's “willingness to form a family … has declined considerably,” according to a 2022 survey by the IPSS.

Tokyo is one of the most overcrowded cities in the world, with a population of approximately 37 million people, and although this number fell for the first time in 2022, some policymakers within central government are said to believe that more action is needed to lower Tokyo's population density, and encourage people ...

Other possible negative impacts of a declining population are: A rise in the dependency ratio which would increase the economic pressure on the workforce. A loss of culture and the diminishment of trust among citizens. A crisis in end-of-life care for the elderly because there are insufficient caregivers for them.

Is the US population declining? ›

NOV. 9, 2023 — The U.S. population is projected to reach a high of nearly 370 million in 2080 before edging downward to 366 million in 2100.

Japan is home to the oldest population in the world, after tiny Monaco. It is recording fewer births than ever before. By 2050, it could lose a fifth of its current population. Yet its hostility to immigration has not wavered.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has unveiled plans for an “unprecedented” ¥3.5 trillion increase in family-policy spending aimed at boosting the country's low fertility rate and stemming population decline.

But why are young Japanese having so few children? One reason appears to be the uncer- tain employment prospects for young men, which make them poor candidates for marriage. The persistence of strong gender differences in housework and childcare also make the “marriage package” unattractive for Japanese women.

For the sixth consecutive year, South Korea has recorded the world's lowest fertility rate. In the latest figures released by the government on Feb. 28, that number sunk to a new low—from 0.84 children per couple in 2022 to 0.81 in 2023. By 2024, the rate is projected to fall even further to 0.68.

South Korea's fertility rate, the lowest in the world, holds lessons for us all South Korea's government has moved aggressively to encourage more childbirth, but its ongoing struggles point to the complexity of a challenge that is only becoming more salient around the world.

Busy urban lifestyles and long working hours leave little time for some Japanese to start families, and the rising costs of living that mean having a baby is simply too expensive for many young people. Businessmen walk towards Shinjuku station in Tokyo on March 16, 2023.

For the sixth consecutive year, South Korea has recorded the world's lowest fertility rate. In the latest figures released by the government on Feb. 28, that number sunk to a new low—from 0.84 children per couple in 2022 to 0.81 in 2023. By 2024, the rate is projected to fall even further to 0.68.

Using the average exchange rate during 2023 according to the Federal Reserve, Japan's GDP in 2023 would be about $4.2 trillion and Germany's $4.46 trillion. Technically, the Japanese economy is in recession, as it has contracted for two consecutive quarters.

This reflected a sense of crisis over the released figures (7,8) that Japan's population had shrunk by 780,000 in 2022, the largest decline ever recorded, together with a drop in number of births to below 800,000 as a result of further acceleration of total fertility rate decline to 1.27.