Japan’s population declines for 14th year in row

The population of Japanese nationals stood at 120.3 million as of October 2024, down a record 8,98,000 from a year earlier, a government estimate showed Monday, amid the graying of society and a declining birthrate, Kyodo News reported.

The total population in Japan, including foreign residents, also fell 5,50,000 to 123.8 million as of October 1 last year, marking the 14th consecutive year of decline, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

The sharpest drop in Japanese nationals since comparable data became available in 1950 comes as the number of people aged at 14 and below dropped by 3,43,000 to 13.83 million, accounting for a record low of 11.2 per cent of the total population. In contrast, the population of those aged 65 and over rose by 17,000 to 36.24 million, reaching a record high of 29.3 per cent, Kyodo News reported.

The working-age population, or people between 15 and 64, fell 224,000 to 73.73 million, accounting for 59.6 per cent, the estimate showed, as per Kyodo News.

According to the World Health Organisation, the population is projected to decrease with a rate of 15 per cent to 105,123,167 by 2050.

In Japan, life expectancy at birth (years) has improved by 2.93 years from 81.5 (81.5 – 81.6) years in 2000 to 84.5 (84.5 – 84.5) years in 2021.

In Western Pacific, life expectancy at birth (years) has improved by 5.46 years from 72 (71.6 – 72.4) years in 2000 to 77.4 (76.9 – 78) years in 2021.

In Japan, the number of additional people expected to be enjoying better health and well-being is projected to be 6.5m (-1.1m – 12.9m) by 2025 compared to 2018, as per the WHO report.

The number of additional people expected to be protected from health emergencies is projected to be 10.2m (5.8m – 12.8m) by 2025 compared to 2018.