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The number of births in Japan in 2024 is less than 700 thousands
According to the population dynamics data released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of newborns born in Japan in 2024 is 686 thousands
Jun 6th,2025
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The number of newborns born in Japan in 2024 decreased by 5.7% compared to the previous year, marking the 9th consecutive year of decline. This is also the first time since records began in 1899 that Japan's annual birth rate has fallen below 700 thousands.
In addition to the annual birth rate falling to a historic low, data released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on Wednesday showed that Japan's total fertility rate, which is the average number of children a woman is expected to have, has dropped from 1.20 in 2023 to 1.15 in 2024, the lowest since relevant statistics began.
In response to the severe crisis of declining birth rates, successive Japanese governments have introduced a series of measures, including maternity subsidies, welfare allowances for children, education support for families with multiple children, expansion of childcare services, and promotion of male parental leave. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has also implemented a four-day workweek since April this year.
In order to ensure the stability of the labor force, the Japanese government is increasing the number of visas for foreign workers. The Japanese government proposed a five-year plan last year to increase the maximum number of visas for foreign workers with specific skills to 800 thousands from April 2024 to March 2029, more than double the previous five-year plan period's 345 thousands.
At the same time, the Japanese government has opened up 16 industries for introducing foreign labor, including road transportation, railways, forestry and timber, nursing, construction, food, industrial manufacturing, and agriculture.
