Japan's Population Falls for 13th Year in a Row
Japan's population fell by almost 600,000 last year, according to government data.
On October 1, 2023, the country's population was 124.3 million. That's 595,000 fewer people than a year earlier.
It's the 13th year in a row Japan's population has decreased — the country's birthrate remains very low, despite the government's efforts to change the situation.
The number of Japanese citizens also fell by a record 837,000 during the same 12-month period.
That's the largest decrease in the population of Japanese citizens since records began in 1950.
The Financial Times noted that the population of Japanese citizens fell at a rate of almost 100 people per hour.
Japan's aging population is a problem for the country's economy — 29% of people are now aged 65 or over, while just 11% are under the age of 15.
On the same day the government released its data, a national population institute estimated that the average number of people living in each household will fall below two in 2033.
And the institute doesn't think things will get much better in the future.
It estimated that by 2050, 44% of Japanese households will be made up of just one person. That figure was 38% in 2020.
However, while the population of Japanese citizens is falling, the number of foreign residents in Japan — including foreign workers and students who spent more than 90 days in the country — increased by about 243,000 to 3.16 million.
Japan has tried to make it easier for foreign workers to move to the country to help the economy.
