Number of births per year in Japan
Japan: Number of births per year was 749,884 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
749,884
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
39th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.46 million
in 1950
All-time low
749,884
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of births per year in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of births per year in Japan is 749,884, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.7% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of births per year in Japan peaked at 2.46 million in 1950 and was at its lowest, 749,884, in 2023.
Japan ranks 39th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of births per year in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.46 million | — |
| 1951 | 2.25 million | -8.6% |
| 1952 | 2.11 million | -6.2% |
| 1953 | 1.97 million | -6.8% |
| 1954 | 1.86 million | -5.2% |
| 1955 | 1.82 million | -2.4% |
| 1956 | 1.75 million | -3.9% |
| 1957 | 1.65 million | -5.8% |
| 1958 | 1.73 million | +4.9% |
| 1959 | 1.70 million | -1.7% |
| 1960 | 1.67 million | -1.5% |
| 1961 | 1.64 million | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 1.66 million | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 1.70 million | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 1.77 million | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 1.87 million | +6.0% |
| 1966 | 1.48 million | -20.8% |
| 1967 | 1.98 million | +33.5% |
| 1968 | 1.91 million | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 1.91 million | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 1.95 million | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 2.06 million | +5.5% |
| 1972 | 2.13 million | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 2.18 million | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 2.12 million | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 1.97 million | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.87 million | -5.0% |
| 1977 | 1.79 million | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 1.74 million | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 1.68 million | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 1.60 million | -4.8% |
| 1981 | 1.53 million | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 1.50 million | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 1.48 million | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 1.46 million | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 1.39 million | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 1.34 million | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 1.30 million | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 1.26 million | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 1.20 million | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.18 million | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 1.18 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 1.18 million | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 1.16 million | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 1.20 million | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 1.17 million | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 1.19 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.19 million | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 1.20 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.18 million | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 1.20 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.18 million | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 1.16 million | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.14 million | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 1.12 million | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.10 million | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.09 million | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.09 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.07 million | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 1.07 million | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.05 million | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.02 million | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 998,487 | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 994,851 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 967,960 | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 937,434 | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 910,945 | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 864,781 | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 840,688 | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 810,611 | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 786,576 | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 749,884 | -4.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 749,884 is above the median for high income countries, which is 21,434, 35.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 749,884 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30,561, 24.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of births per year 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 | +33.5% | 1.48 million | 1.98 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.93 million | 1.65 million | 2.46 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.76 million | 1.48 million | 1.98 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.95 million | 1.68 million | 2.18 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.41 million | 1.20 million | 1.60 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.18 million | 1.16 million | 1.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 million | 1.07 million | 1.20 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 985,629 | 864,781 | 1.07 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 796,940 | 749,884 | 840,688 | 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 number of births per year in Japan?
- Number of births per year in Japan was 749,884 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of births per year recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.46 million in 1950.
- What is the lowest number of births per year recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 749,884 in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for number of births per year?
- Japan ranks 39th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of births per year rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. 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 Number of births per year. 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).