What happens when a country loses more than twice as many people as it gains each year?
Japan is finding out. In 2024, the nation saw nearly 1.6 million deaths but only 686,061 births—the lowest since records began in 1899.
That’s a net drop of over 900,000 people, the steepest annual decline since 1968.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called it a “quiet emergency.”
He’s pushing for family-friendly policies—think free childcare and flexible work hours—but so far, they’ve barely made a dent.
What’s The Reason?
Experts point to sky-high living costs, stagnant wages, and a grueling work culture.
For many young Japanese, starting a family feels out of reach.
Women especially face entrenched expectations to become full-time caregivers with little structural support.
Nearly 30% of Japan’s population is now over 65—the second-highest rate globally.
Meanwhile, abandoned homes are piling up in shrinking towns, and the working-age population keeps slipping.
Immigration is inching upward, with a record 3.6 million foreign residents now in Japan. Still, the issue remains politically sensitive.
Even if birth rates rebound tomorrow, experts say it could take generations to stabilize the population.
So the question remains: can Japan rewrite its demographic destiny—or is time quietly running out?
