Fertility rate with projections in Japan
Japan: Fertility rate with projections was 1.21 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate with projections in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.21 for fertility rate with projections in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate with projections in Japan peaked at 3.62 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.21, in 2023.
That places Japan 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate with projections in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.62 | — |
| 1951 | 3.23 | -10.8% |
| 1952 | 2.95 | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 2.67 | -9.3% |
| 1954 | 2.47 | -7.7% |
| 1955 | 2.35 | -4.8% |
| 1956 | 2.21 | -6.1% |
| 1957 | 2.04 | -7.7% |
| 1958 | 2.1 | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.04 | -3.0% |
| 1960 | 1.98 | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 1.93 | -2.7% |
| 1962 | 1.93 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.95 | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2 | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 2.09 | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.63 | -21.9% |
| 1967 | 2.16 | +32.2% |
| 1968 | 2.06 | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.03 | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.04 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.09 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.11 | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.06 | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.92 | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.84 | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.79 | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.79 | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 1.77 | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.74 | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.72 | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.74 | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.77 | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.78 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.74 | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7 | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.67 | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.55 | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.48 | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.47 | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.38 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.37 | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.34 | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.35 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.32 | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.31 | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.28 | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.28 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.25 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.28 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.3 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.33 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.33 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.36 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.38 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.39 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.42 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.39 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.37 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.27 | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.26 | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.21 | -3.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.21 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5, 80% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.21 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13, 57% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility rate with projections 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +32.2% | 1.63 | 2.16 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.57 | 2.04 | 3.62 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 | 1.63 | 2.16 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.96 | 1.77 | 2.15 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7 | 1.55 | 1.78 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 | 1.34 | 1.51 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 | 1.25 | 1.35 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 | 1.32 | 1.42 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.26 | 1.21 | 1.3 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 103,784 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.5891 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2372 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.501 (2100)
- Population density 210.83 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.83 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate with projections in Japan?
- Fertility rate with projections in Japan was 1.21 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate with projections recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.62 in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility rate with projections recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for fertility rate with projections?
- Japan ranks 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate with projections rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate with projections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).