The country’s under-15 population has dropped again—down 350,000 in just a year to 13.66 million, the lowest since records began in 1950.
That’s 44 straight years of decline.
Let that sink in: kids now make up just 11.1% of Japan’s population.
Globally, only South Korea has a smaller share.
And if you think this is just a Tokyo issue, think again.
Every prefecture saw fewer kids, with only Tokyo and Kanagawa barely hanging on to over a million young residents.
Drill down into the numbers, and it’s clear this isn’t a baby blip.
Children aged 0–2 make up just 2.22 million.
An Alarming Situation?
Compare that with 3.14 million in the 12–14 age group, and you see a trend: fewer babies, fewer future teenagers.
“There’s no sugarcoating it—Japan’s demographic pyramid is flipping,” says sociologist Yuki Tanaka.
“Fewer kids mean big changes ahead—for schools, jobs, and the economy.”
Bright spots? Okinawa leads in child share at 15.8%. But Akita, Aomori, and Hokkaido are already dipping below 10%.
