On May 27, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released preliminary data showing that the number of births in the country in 2025 fell to a record low, with only 671,236 babies – a 2.7% decrease from the previous year and the ninth consecutive year of decline.
The total fertility rate (TFR), or the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, also fell to a historic low of 1.14. This is the sharpest decline since the government began tracking the index in 1947. In Tokyo, the TFR was just 0.99 – the first time it has dropped below 1.
Analysts attribute the trend to later marriages, fewer young people starting families, and the heavy economic burden and high cost of raising children. Japan's population is aging rapidly, with nearly 30% of the total population aged 65 or older.
The Japanese government has been implementing various measures to encourage childbirth, including increasing child allowances, subsidizing maternity medical costs, and expanding daycare facilities. However, experts say these efforts have not been enough to reverse the sharp downward trend.
The data only counts births to Japanese citizens, not children of foreign parents. The total number of births in Japan, including those to foreign nationals, has not yet been officially released.
Amid a severe labor shortage, the Japanese government is also considering easing immigration policies and expanding the Specified Skilled Worker program to attract more foreign workers.
