Statizoid

Birth rate total in Japan

Japan: Birth rate total was 17.27 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
17.27
Change on year
down 9.6%
World rank
38th
of 40 countries
All-time high
132.31
in 1948
All-time low
17.27
in 2023
Years of data
125
1899–2023

Birth rate total in Japan, 1899–2023

255075100125189919612023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, birth rate total in Japan stood at 17.27. That is the lowest value across all 125 years on record.

The figure is down 9.6% on the previous year and down 28.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, birth rate total in Japan peaked at 132.31 in 1948 and was at its lowest, 17.27, in 2023.

That places Japan 38th out of 40 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Birth rate total in Japan, year by year

Year Value Change
1899 59.61 —
1900 66.04 +10.8%
1901 69.44 +5.2%
1902 72.21 +4.0%
1903 69.61 -3.6%
1904 69.88 +0.4%
1905 68.31 -2.3%
1906 63.48 -7.1%
1907 82.7 +30.3%
1908 86.04 +4.0%
1909 88 +2.3%
1910 90.17 +2.5%
1911 90.14 -0.0%
1912 91.46 +1.5%
1913 92.57 +1.2%
1914 93.95 +1.5%
1915 93.39 -0.6%
1916 96.2 +3.0%
1917 97.28 +1.1%
1918 99.58 +2.4%
1919 96.42 -3.2%
1920 109.65 +13.7%
1921 106.48 -2.9%
1922 105.96 -0.5%
1923 111.95 +5.7%
1924 108.9 -2.7%
1925 109.48 +0.5%
1926 108.84 -0.6%
1927 110.15 +1.2%
1928 108.08 -1.9%
1929 110.78 +2.5%
1930 104.32 -5.8%
1931 115.05 +10.3%
1932 107.82 -6.3%
1933 117.39 +8.9%
1934 106.77 -9.0%
1935 112.21 +5.1%
1936 119.41 +6.4%
1937 113.46 -5.0%
1938 112.99 -0.4%
1939 104.25 -7.7%
1940 109.77 +5.3%
1941 113.75 +3.6%
1942 121.24 +6.6%
1943 108.24 -10.7%
1944 114.36 +5.7%
1945 83.42 -27.1%
1946 84.32 +1.1%
1947 124.59 +47.7%
1948 132.31 +6.2%
1949 130.44 -1.4%
1950 101.39 -22.3%
1951 100.6 -0.8%
1952 88.08 -12.4%
1953 80.6 -8.5%
1954 74.99 -7.0%
1955 73.49 -2.0%
1956 64.58 -12.1%
1957 62.46 -3.3%
1958 63.21 +1.2%
1959 63.06 -0.2%
1960 58.33 -7.5%
1961 55.46 -4.9%
1962 56.49 +1.9%
1963 57.01 +0.9%
1964 54.59 -4.3%
1965 55.77 +2.2%
1966 43.95 -21.2%
1967 62.63 +42.5%
1968 53.88 -14.0%
1969 56.34 +4.6%
1970 55.06 -2.3%
1971 54.45 -1.1%
1972 54.67 +0.4%
1973 55.16 +0.9%
1974 53.91 -2.3%
1975 49.49 -8.2%
1976 47.01 -5.0%
1977 44.97 -4.3%
1978 43.11 -4.1%
1979 40.67 -5.6%
1980 39.23 -3.5%
1981 37.93 -3.3%
1982 37.89 -0.1%
1983 36.66 -3.2%
1984 36.38 -0.8%
1985 35.01 -3.8%
1986 33.06 -5.6%
1987 32.32 -2.2%
1988 31.62 -2.2%
1989 28.85 -8.8%
1990 28.3 -1.9%
1991 28.32 +0.1%
1992 28.47 +0.5%
1993 27.48 -3.5%
1994 28.58 +4.0%
1995 27.47 -3.9%
1996 27.88 +1.5%
1997 27.62 -0.9%
1998 27.88 +0.9%
1999 26.7 -4.3%
2000 27.39 +2.6%
2001 27.21 -0.7%
2002 26.28 -3.4%
2003 25.41 -3.3%
2004 25.37 -0.2%
2005 24.51 -3.4%
2006 24.61 +0.4%
2007 24.55 -0.3%
2008 25.1 +2.3%
2009 24.29 -3.2%
2010 24.31 +0.1%
2011 24.44 +0.5%
2012 23.75 -2.8%
2013 24.02 +1.1%
2014 23.99 -0.1%
2015 23.12 -3.6%
2016 22.68 -1.9%
2017 21.91 -3.4%
2018 20.95 -4.4%
2019 19.9 -5.0%
2020 19.73 -0.9%
2021 19.77 +0.2%
2022 19.1 -3.4%
2023 17.27 -9.6%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 17.27 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.27, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 17.27 is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.49, 63% of the median. (38 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Birth rate total in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1947 +47.7% 84.32 124.59
1967 +42.5% 43.95 62.63
1907 +30.3% 63.48 82.7
1945 -27.1% 114.36 83.42

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 59.61 59.61 59.61 1
1900s 73.57 63.48 88 10
1910s 94.12 90.14 99.58 10
1920s 109.03 105.96 111.95 10
1930s 111.37 104.25 119.41 10
1940s 112.24 83.42 132.31 10
1950s 77.25 62.46 101.39 10
1960s 55.45 43.95 62.63 10
1970s 49.85 40.67 55.16 10
1980s 34.9 28.85 39.23 10
1990s 27.87 26.7 28.58 10
2000s 25.47 24.29 27.39 10
2010s 22.91 19.9 24.44 10
2020s 18.97 17.27 19.77 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 35 Italy 20 compare
  2. 36 Lithuania 19.86 compare
  3. 37 Spain 19.05 compare
  4. 39 South Korea 14.62 compare
  5. 40 Hong Kong 12.97 compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More population data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is birth rate total in Japan?
Birth rate total in Japan was 17.27 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest birth rate total recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 132.31 in 1948.
What is the lowest birth rate total recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 17.27 in 2023.
How does Japan rank for birth rate total?
Japan ranks 38th out of 40 countries with data for 2023.
Is birth rate total rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 125 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Birth rate total in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/birth-rate-total/japan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/birth-rate-total/japan/">Birth rate total in Japan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Birth rate total
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
40 places, 3,610 data points, 1840–2024
Last refreshed