emirates7 - In 2024, the number of births in Japan dropped below 700,000 for the first time, falling by 5.7 percent from the previous year to 686,061, according to government data released on Wednesday. This decline reflects an ongoing pattern of postponed marriages and childbearing.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that both the birth count and fertility rate have been decreasing for nine straight years.

Japan’s birthrate is now falling at a rate that is 15 years faster than what government forecasts had predicted.