The number of births in Japan has reached a new low, partly due to the corona pandemic. In total, almost 841,000 babies were born in 2020, 2.8 percent less than a year earlier.
That is the lowest number for the Asian country facing a rapidly ageing population.
Due to the pandemic, even more, couples are choosing to marry later and start a family. Japanese women are now expected to have an average of 1.34 children in their lifetime, one of the lowest averages in the world. Women have fewer children, but there are also fewer young women due to the ageing population.
The Japanese Ministry of Health reports a drop in the number of new marriages in addition to the plummeting birth rates. Just over 525,000 couples tied the knot last year. The authorities speak of a post-war record low. In 2019, 12.3 percent more marriages took place.
Japan has struggled with declining birth rates for decades, despite efforts to boost them. In 2019, fewer than 900,000 babies were born for the first time since newborn registrations began in 1899. Japan expects the population to shrink significantly. Japan now has about 127 million inhabitants. In 2053 there may be fewer than 100 million. More than a quarter of the population is now over 65 years of age.