Birth rate in Japan
Japan: Birth rate was 6.03 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Japan, 1947–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Japan recorded 6.03 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 77 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Japan peaked at 35.46 births per 1,000 people in 1947 and was at its lowest, 6.03 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Japan ranks 227th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 77 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 34.67 births per 1,000 people | 33.96 births per 1,000 people | 35.46 births per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 1950s | 21.17 births per 1,000 people | 17.49 births per 1,000 people | 28.48 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.47 births per 1,000 people | 14.53 births per 1,000 people | 19.2 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.39 births per 1,000 people | 14.27 births per 1,000 people | 19.75 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.66 births per 1,000 people | 9.78 births per 1,000 people | 13.49 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.44 births per 1,000 people | 9.31 births per 1,000 people | 9.61 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.8 births per 1,000 people | 8.38 births per 1,000 people | 9.42 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.73 births per 1,000 people | 6.83 births per 1,000 people | 8.35 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.36 births per 1,000 people | 6.03 births per 1,000 people | 6.66 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.83 million people (2100)
- Population density 210.83 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.15 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 29,068 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.15 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.15 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate -0.6% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Japan?
- Birth rate in Japan was 6.03 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 35.46 births per 1,000 people in 1947.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.03 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for birth rate?
- Japan ranks 227th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.