Number of live births in Japan
Japan: Number of live births was 727,288 births in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
727,288 births
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
4th
of 34 countries
All-time high
2.71 million births
in 1947
All-time low
727,288 births
in 2023
Years of data
77
1947–2023
Number of live births in Japan, 1947–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of live births in Japan is 727,288 births, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 77 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of live births in Japan peaked at 2.71 million births in 1947 and was at its lowest, 727,288 births, in 2023.
That places Japan 4th out of 34 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 77 years of available data.
Number of live births in Japan, year by year
| Year | births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 2.71 million births | — |
| 1948 | 2.70 million births | -0.5% |
| 1949 | 2.71 million births | +0.5% |
| 1950 | 2.35 million births | -13.2% |
| 1951 | 2.15 million births | -8.5% |
| 1952 | 2.02 million births | -6.0% |
| 1953 | 1.89 million births | -6.8% |
| 1954 | 1.79 million births | -5.2% |
| 1955 | 1.75 million births | -2.2% |
| 1956 | 1.68 million births | -3.8% |
| 1957 | 1.58 million births | -5.9% |
| 1958 | 1.67 million births | +5.5% |
| 1959 | 1.64 million births | -1.7% |
| 1960 | 1.62 million births | -1.3% |
| 1961 | 1.60 million births | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 1.63 million births | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 1.67 million births | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 1.72 million births | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 1.83 million births | +6.2% |
| 1966 | 1.37 million births | -25.3% |
| 1967 | 1.94 million births | +42.2% |
| 1968 | 1.88 million births | -3.4% |
| 1969 | 1.90 million births | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 1.94 million births | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 2.01 million births | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 2.04 million births | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 2.10 million births | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 2.03 million births | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 1.90 million births | -6.4% |
| 1976 | 1.83 million births | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 1.76 million births | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 1.71 million births | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 1.65 million births | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 1.58 million births | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 1.53 million births | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.52 million births | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 1.51 million births | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 1.49 million births | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 1.43 million births | -3.9% |
| 1986 | 1.38 million births | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 1.35 million births | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 1.32 million births | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 1.25 million births | -5.1% |
| 1990 | 1.22 million births | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 1.22 million births | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1.21 million births | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.19 million births | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 1.24 million births | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 1.19 million births | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 1.21 million births | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 1.19 million births | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.20 million births | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.18 million births | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 1.19 million births | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 1.17 million births | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1.15 million births | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million births | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.11 million births | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.06 million births | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 1.09 million births | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 1.09 million births | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.09 million births | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 1.07 million births | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 1.07 million births | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.05 million births | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 1.04 million births | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.03 million births | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 1.00 million births | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 1.01 million births | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 977,889 births | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 946,574 births | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 918,817 births | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 865,641 births | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 841,195 births | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 811,966 births | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 771,007 births | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 727,288 births | -5.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 727,288 births is above the median for high income countries, which is 98,451 births, 7.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of live births 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 | +42.2% | 1.37 million births | 1.94 million births |
| 1966 | -25.3% | 1.83 million births | 1.37 million births |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.71 million births | 2.70 million births | 2.71 million births | 3 |
| 1950s | 1.85 million births | 1.58 million births | 2.35 million births | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.72 million births | 1.37 million births | 1.94 million births | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.90 million births | 1.65 million births | 2.10 million births | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.44 million births | 1.25 million births | 1.58 million births | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.21 million births | 1.18 million births | 1.24 million births | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 million births | 1.06 million births | 1.19 million births | 10 |
| 2010s | 991,037 births | 865,641 births | 1.07 million births | 10 |
| 2020s | 787,864 births | 727,288 births | 841,195 births | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2372 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.5891 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of live births in Japan?
- Number of live births in Japan was 727,288 births in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of live births recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.71 million births in 1947.
- What is the lowest number of live births recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 727,288 births in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for number of live births?
- Japan ranks 4th out of 34 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of live births rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of live births. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of live births recorded in a given year.