Japan birth rate fall for 10th year in a row

 

The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday, highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the preliminary health ministry data showed, down 2.1 percent from 2024.

The data includes births to Japanese nationals in Japan, foreign births in Japan and babies born to Japanese nationals overseas.

Meanwhile, 505,656 couples got married in 2025, up 1.1 percent, while the number of divorces fell 3.7 percent to 182,969 cases.

There were 1,605,654 deaths, down 13,030 or 0.8 percent from 2024.