Japan registered 1.52 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023, a slight increase from the after three consecutive years of decline. The divorce rate was mostly on a downward trend in the past two decades.

Vital Statistics: Japanese Only: Per 1000: Divorce Rate data was reported at 1.700 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.730 % for 2016. Vital Statistics: Japanese Only: Per 1000: Divorce Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 1.280 % from Dec 1947 (Median) to 2017, with 71 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.300 % in 2002 and a record low of 0.730 % in 1963. Vital Statistics: Japanese Only: Per 1000: Divorce Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G005: Vital Statistics.

Approximately 183,810 divorces were registered in Japan in 2023, down from around 222,110 divorces in 2014. The number of marriages in Japan also decreased considerably in the last decade.

In 2023, Tokyo Prefecture registered 1.49 new divorces per 1,000 inhabitants, up from 1.43 divorces in the previous year. The divorce rate in the prefecture had shown a steady decrease until 2023.

【リソース】Volume 1_10-1_Trends in divorces by each prefecture:Japan / Volume 1_10-2_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by each prefecture:Japan / Volume 1_10-3_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by month of registration:Japan / Volume 1_10-4_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by legal type:Japan / Volume 1_10-5_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, and mean duration of cohabitation:Japan / Volume 1_10-6_Trends in divorces by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan / Volume 1_10-7_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan / Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan, 2012_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan, 2012_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-10_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by wife and husband who have children involved in divorce:Japan / Volume 1_10-11_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children and custody of wife and husband:Japan / Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2012_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2012_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-13_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by nationality of wife and husband : Japan / Volume 1_10-14_Divorces by nationality of wife and husband : Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities, 2012 / Volume 1_10-15_Percent distribution of divorces by nationality of wife and husband:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities, 2012 / Volume 2_1_Divorces by month of registration:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Volume 2_2_Divorces by month of registration by month and year cohabitation terminated:Japan / Volume 2_3_Divorces by single years of age of husband and wife (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan / Volume 2_4_Divorces by legal type:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Volume 2_5_Divorces by legal type, duration of marriage and type of occupation of household:Japan / Volume 2_6_Divorces by age of husband and wife and duration of marriage (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan / Volume 2_7_Divorces by number of children involved in divorce and number of children who are to be in wife's custody (all divorces and divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan / Volume 2_8_Divorces by duration of marriage and number of children involved in divorce (all divorces and divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan / Vital Statistics_Vital statistics of Japan_Final data_Divorces_Yearly_2012 / Volume 1_10-1_Trends in divorces by each prefecture:Japan,Volume 1_10-2_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by each prefecture:Japan,Volume 1_10-3_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by month of registration:Japan,Volume 1_10-4_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by legal type:Japan,Volume 1_10-5_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, and mean duration of cohabitation:Japan,Volume 1_10-6_Trends in divorces by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan,Volume 1_10-7_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan,Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan, 2012_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2012):Japan, 2012_(2) Percent distribution,Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(2) Percent distribution,Volume 1_10-10_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by wife and husband who have children involved in divorce:Japan,Volume 1_10-11_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children and custody of wife and husband:Japan,Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2012_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-12_

【リソース】Volume 1_10-1_Trends in divorces by each prefecture:Japan / Volume 1_10-2_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by each prefecture:Japan / Volume 1_10-3_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by month of registration:Japan / Volume 1_10-4_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by legal type:Japan / Volume 1_10-5_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, and mean duration of cohabitation:Japan / Volume 1_10-6_Trends in divorces by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan / Volume 1_10-7_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan / Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan, 2016_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan, 2016_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-10_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by wife and husband who have children involved in divorce:Japan / Volume 1_10-11_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children and custody of wife and husband:Japan / Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2016_(1) Divorces / Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2016_(2) Percent distribution / Volume 1_10-13_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by nationality of wife and husband : Japan / Volume 1_10-14_Divorces by nationality of wife and husband : Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities, 2016 / Volume 1_10-15_Percent distribution of divorces by nationality of wife and husband:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities, 2016 / Volume 2_1_Divorces by month of registration:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Volume 2_2_Divorces by month of registration by month and year cohabitation terminated:Japan / Volume 2_3_Divorces by single years of age of husband and wife (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan / Volume 2_4_Divorces by legal type:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Volume 2_5_Divorces by legal type, duration of marriage and type of occupation of household:Japan / Volume 2_6_Divorces by age of husband and wife and duration of marriage (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan / Volume 2_7_Divorces by number of children involved in divorce and number of children who are to be in wife's custody (all divorces and divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan / Volume 2_8_Divorces by duration of marriage and number of children involved in divorce (all divorces and divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan / Vital Statistics_Vital statistics of Japan_Final data_Divorces_Yearly_2016 / Volume 1_10-1_Trends in divorces by each prefecture:Japan,Volume 1_10-2_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by each prefecture:Japan,Volume 1_10-3_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by month of registration:Japan,Volume 1_10-4_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by legal type:Japan,Volume 1_10-5_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, and mean duration of cohabitation:Japan,Volume 1_10-6_Trends in divorces by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan,Volume 1_10-7_Trends in divorce rates (per 1,000 population) by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered each year):Japan,Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan, 2016_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-8_Divorces and percent distribution by age of wife and husband at time of decree (for divorces separated and registered in 2016):Japan, 2016_(2) Percent distribution,Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-9_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children involved in divorce:Japan_(2) Percent distribution,Volume 1_10-10_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by wife and husband who have children involved in divorce:Japan,Volume 1_10-11_Trends in divorces and percent distribution by number of children and custody of wife and husband:Japan,Volume 1_10-12_Divorces and percent distribution by duration of cohabitation, by type of occupation for household:Japan, 2016_(1) Divorces,Volume 1_10-12_

Men and women in Japan are getting married increasingly later than previous generations. In 2023, the average age of women who marry for the first time was about **** years, while men were on average **** years old when they first got married. Social integration of women The rising age at first marriage was partly explained by a common theory that holds the growing number of “parasite singles” accountable for the trend. The term refers to young working people aged between 28 and 40 years who decide to keep living comfortably in their parents' homes to save money. An alternative explanation is the more active participation of Japanese women in society. Increasingly more women in Japan obtain higher education degrees and focus on their career paths. With a rising income, they are financially less dependent, and marriage is no longer essential to afford the life they pursue. Delayed family planning The overall number of newly registered marriages has also declined in the past decade. The reported number of marriages was around ******* in 2023, representing the sixth consecutive years below *******. These developments concerning marriages have also impacted the mean age of childbearing, which has risen considerably since the *****.

IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that paternal absence leads to earlier pubertal timing among girls in high-income countries. Despite the low divorce rate in Japan, paternal separation is commonly seen due to a unique corporation system, tanshin funin, where employees relocate with their spouses and children. We examined paternal separation, including paternal absence (due to divorce or paternal death) and paternal tanshin funin, during early childhood as a predictor of earlier girl’s pubertal development, assessed as age at peak height velocity (PHV).MethodsThis study examined 15 214 girls from a longitudinal survey conducted in Japan from 2001 to 2016 by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Paternal separation was determined by the occurrence through annual surveys conducted at ages 0.5 to 4.5 years. Outcome was defined as age at PHV between ages 6 to 15 years. We conducted linear regression, adjusted for potential confounders and other covariates.ResultsContinuous father cohabitation was seen in 88.7% of households, while paternal separation was experienced 1-2, 3-4 and 5 times (always) among 7.4%, 2.8% and 1.1% of households, respectively. Girls who confronted continuous paternal separation (5 times) experienced 0.42 years earlier [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.75, -0.10] age at PHV compared to their peers who always lived with their fathers.ConclusionGirls who experienced paternal separation throughout ages 0.5 to 4.5 years experienced PHV earlier.

Approximately ******* new marriages were registered in Japan in 2023. The annual number of newly registered marriages decreased by around ****** in the last decade.

人口数据统计：仅日本人：每千：离婚率在12-01-2017达1.700%，相较于12-01-2016的1.730%有所下降。人口数据统计：仅日本人：每千：离婚率数据按年更新，12-01-1947至12-01-2017期间平均值为1.280%，共71份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2002，达2.300%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1963，为0.730%。CEIC提供的人口数据统计：仅日本人：每千：离婚率数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于厚生労働省，数据归类于全球数据库的日本 – 表 JP.G005：人口数据统计。

In 2020, about 28.3 percent of the male population and 17.8 percent of the female population in Japan were unmarried at the age of 50. The unmarried rate at 50 for both genders steadily rose since 1990.