The number of children under 15 in Japan fell below 14 million for the first time

The data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan on May 4 showed that as of April 1, the number of children under 15, including foreigners, was 13.66 million, a decrease of 350,000 from the previous year, and has been decreasing for 44 consecutive years. This is the first time since 1950, when comparable data became available, that the number has fallen below 14 million, setting a new historical low. The proportion of children to the total population also hit a new low, falling 0.2 percentage points from the previous year to 11.1%. The continued decline in the number of births in Japan cannot be curbed, and the worsening of the low birth rate has once again become prominent.

By gender, there were 6.99 million male children and 6.66 million female children. According to the age group of every 3 years, the younger the age, the fewer the number, with 3.14 million for 12 to 14 years old and 2.22 million for 0 to 2 years old.

The data divided by prefectures as of April have not yet been calculated, but according to statistics on October 1 last year, the number of children in all 47 prefectures in Japan decreased compared with the previous year. Tokyo and Kanagawa are the only two prefectures with more than 1 million children.

In terms of the proportion of children in the total population, Okinawa has the highest proportion at 15.8%, followed by Shiga and Saga (both 12.7%) and Kumamoto (12.6%). The lowest is Akita (8.8%), followed by Aomori (9.8%) and Hokkaido (9.9%).

The number of children in Japan peaked at 29.89 million in 1954 and began to decline. It rose around the second baby boom (1971-1974), but has continued to decline since 1982. The proportion of children has also been declining for 51 consecutive years since 1975.

According to the United Nations, although the estimated time points are different, among the 37 countries with a population of more than 40 million, Japan’s proportion of children is the second lowest after South Korea (10.6%).