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<li>Japan fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.51% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.07% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.
The statistic shows the 20 countries with the lowest fertility rates in 2024. All figures are estimates. In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. Fertility rate The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country. Usually, a woman aged between 15 and 45 is considered to be in her child-bearing years. The fertility rate of a country provides an insight into its economic state, as well as the level of health and education of its population. Developing countries usually have a higher fertility rate due to lack of access to birth control and contraception, and to women usually foregoing a higher education, or even any education at all, in favor of taking care of housework. Many families in poorer countries also need their children to help provide for the family by starting to work early and/or as caretakers for their parents in old age. In developed countries, fertility rates and birth rates are usually much lower, as birth control is easier to obtain and women often choose a career before becoming a mother. Additionally, if the number of women of child-bearing age declines, so does the fertility rate of a country. As can be seen above, countries like Hong Kong are a good example for women leaving the patriarchal structures and focusing on their own career instead of becoming a mother at a young age, causing a decline of the country’s fertility rate. A look at the fertility rate per woman worldwide by income group also shows that women with a low income tend to have more children than those with a high income. The United States are neither among the countries with the lowest, nor among those with the highest fertility rate, by the way. At 2.08 children per woman, the fertility rate in the US has been continuously slightly below the global average of about 2.4 children per woman over the last decade.
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Although fluctuating between 2000 and 2024, fertility rates generally decreased in all G7 countries in recent years. Italy and Japan were estimated to have the lowest fertility rates as of 2024, at *** children per woman of childbearing age. On the other hand, France had the highest rate at *** children. Interestingly, in Germany, the fertility rate was at the same level as Japan and Italy, but started to increase in 2013 and has remained slightly higher since. The fertility rate displays the average number of children a woman of child-bearing age in a country would have if she were to live to the end of her reproductive age.
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Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in Japan was reported at 1.2 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
In 2023, the total fertility rate in Japan decreased by 0.1 children per woman (-7.94 percent) compared to 2022. Therefore, the fertility rate in Japan saw its lowest number in that year with 1.2 children per woman. Notably, the fertility rate is continuously decreasing over the last years.The total fertility rate is the average number of children that a woman of childbearing age (generally considered 15 to 44 years) is expected to have throughout her reproductive years. Unlike birth rates, which are based on the actual number of live births in a given population, fertility rates are estimates (similar to life expectancy) that apply to a hypothetical woman, as they assume that current patterns in age-specific fertility will remain constant throughout her reproductive years.Find more statistics on other topics about Japan with key insights such as life expectancy of men at birth, life expectancy of women at birth, and death rate.
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Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in Japan was reported at 1.737 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.
According to a survey conducted in September 2024, over 41 percent of surveyed individuals identified the financial instability of young people and those in the child-rearing age as the root cause of the declining total fertility rate (TRF) in Japan. Almost 38 percent considered it was due to the increasing number of people not wanting to get married.
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Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Japan was reported at 6 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.
The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. From 1800 until 1865, Japan's fertility rate grew quite gradually, from 4.1 children per woman, to 4.8. From this point the fertility rate drops to 3.6 over the next ten years, as Japan became more industrialized. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Japan's fertility rate grew again, and reached it's highest recorded point in the early 1920s, where it was 5.4 children per woman. Since this point it has been gradually decreasing until now, although it did experience slight increases after the Second World War, and in the early 1970s. In recent decades Japan's population has aged extensively, and today, Japan has the second oldest population and second highest life expectancy in the world (after Monaco). In contrast to this, Japan has a very low birth rate, and it's fertility rate is expected to fall below 1.4 children per woman in 2020.
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<li>South Korea fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>1.08</strong>, a <strong>49.65% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>South Korea fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>0.72</strong>, a <strong>7.33% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>South Korea fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>0.78</strong>, a <strong>3.71% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.
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The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.
With an average of 4.3 births per woman, Afghanistan had the highest fertility rate throughout the Asia-Pacific region in 2024. Pakistan and Papua New Guinea followed with the second and third-highest fertility rates, respectively. In contrast, South Korea and Hong Kong had the lowest fertility rates across the region. Contraception usage Fertility rates among women in the Asia-Pacific region have fallen throughout recent years. A likely reason is an increase in contraception use. However, contraception usage varies greatly throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Although contraception prevalence is set to increase across South Asia by 2030, women in both East Asia and Southeast Asia had higher contraception usage compared to South Asia in 2019. Women in APAC With the rise of feminism and the advancement of human rights, attitudes towards the role of women have changed in the Asia-Pacific region. Achieving gender equality has become a vital necessity for both men and women throughout the region. Alongside changes in traditional gender roles, women in certain Asia-Pacific countries, such as New Zealand, have become more inclined to marry later in life. Furthermore, the focus for younger women appears to be with having stability in their lives and securing an enjoyable job. This was displayed when female high school students in Japan were questioned about their future life aspirations.
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Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Japan was reported at 84.04 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
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Japan JP: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data was reported at 1.056 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.056 Ratio for 2015. Japan JP: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data is updated yearly, averaging 1.056 Ratio from Dec 1962 (Median) to 2016, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.056 Ratio in 2016 and a record low of 1.056 Ratio in 2016. Japan JP: Sex Ratio at Birth: Male Births per Female Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Sex ratio at birth refers to male births per female births. The data are 5 year averages.; ; United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;
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<li>Japan death rate for 2024 was <strong>11.73</strong>, a <strong>1.81% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Japan death rate for 2023 was <strong>11.52</strong>, a <strong>1.94% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Japan death rate for 2022 was <strong>11.30</strong>, a <strong>1.98% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.
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Life expectancy at birth, female (years) in Japan was reported at 87.14 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Life expectancy at birth, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
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Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) in Japan was reported at 1.051 in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
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Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in Japan was reported at 81.09 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Life expectancy at birth, male (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.
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<li>Japan fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.51% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.07% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.