mandag 5. mai 2025

Children aged 14 or younger now make up less than 12% of this country’s population

Japan’s estimated child population has shrunk for the 44th straight year to a record low, government data showed Sunday, as the country grapples with a demographic crisis underscored by falling birth rates and a rapidly aging population. The number of children aged 14 and under, was 13.66 million as of April 1, down 350,000 from a year ago, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ahead of the country’s Children’s Day public holiday.

Children make up just 11.1% of Japan’s total population, which stood at 123.4 million last year, marking a marginal decline from the year prior. By comparison, the proportion of children to the population was roughly 21.7% for the US in 2023 and 17.1% for China in 2024, according to respective government figures.