Japanese children are getting rarer, population has fallen for 45 years in a row

As of April 1, the population of children under the age of 15 is estimated to be 13.29 million people. (Photo: Kyodo News)

JAKARTA - Japan is again hit by sad news from demographic data. The number of children in the country has fallen again and now touches a new record low.

As of April 1, the population of children under the age of 15 is estimated to be 13.29 million people. The figure is down 350,000 from the previous year. This decline is the 45th consecutive year, according to Japanese government data quoted by Kyodo News, Tuesday, May 5.

The ratio of children to the total population has also declined. Now the proportion is only 10.8 percent, down 0.3 percentage points. This is the lowest figure since comparable data became available in 1950.

The data from the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications includes foreign residents. The calculation uses population estimates based on national censuses conducted every five years.

The Japanese government has actually been sounding the alarm for a long time. The decline in birth rates is a priority. Tokyo even calls the period up to 2030 as "the last chance" to reverse the trend.

However, the results are not encouraging. Financial assistance for families raising children has been expanded. Still, the number of children continues to shrink. This condition shows that incentive policies have not been able to hold back the rate of decline.

Viewed from gender, the number of boys reached 6.81 million. The number of girls is 6.48 million.

The age breakdown shows a clearer problem. Children aged 12 to 14 years old number 3.09 million. Meanwhile, children aged 0 to 2 years only 2.13 million. The smallest generation is actually the least.

The number of children born in Japan in 2025 also fell to a record low, namely 705,809 people. This figure includes foreigners and is the 10th consecutive year of decline, according to preliminary data from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.

The Japanese child population has continued to decline since 1982. Previously, the number of children had reached its peak in 1954 with 29.89 million people. Japan also experienced a second birth explosion in 1971 to 1974.

Now the needle is turning sharply. The child ratio in Japan has been declining for 52 consecutive years since 1975.

In a survey of the United Nations conducted at different times, Japan was in the second lowest position in the child ratio among 38 countries with a population of at least 40 million. South Korea was the lowest with a ratio of 10.2 percent.