Japan's total population fell by 550,000 last year for the 14th consecutive year of decline

Japan's population stood at about 123.8 million as of Oct. 1, 2024, down about 550,000 from a year earlier and down for 14 straight years, highlighting labor shortages and growing problems financing social security amid a shrinking tax base.

The total Japanese population also includes foreigners in Japan. Excluding foreigners in Japan, the country's population was about 120 million, down about 898,000 from the previous year and the biggest decline since comparable data began in 1950.

Xinhua quoted Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on Monday (April 14) released the latest population data show that Japan's young children aging, the population to the Tokyo circle "one-way concentration" trend further intensified.

At present, the population under the age of 15 in Japan is 13.83 million, accounting for 11.2% of the total population, which is the lowest level in history. The population aged over 75 reached a record high of 20.77 million, accounting for 16.8% of the total. In terms of prefectures, only Tokyo and Saitama prefectures experienced population growth, while the remaining 45 regions experienced population declines.

The proportion of children has hit a new low

The data is the latest reminder of how bleak Japan's demographic outlook is and raises alarms about the sustainability of its social welfare system as fewer people pay into it. The number of 15 - to 64-year-olds in the workforce fell by 224,000 to 73.7 million, adding to fiscal pressures in a country with the highest debt-to-gross domestic product ratio among advanced economies.

The data also showed that the number of children in Japan fell by 343,000 to 13.8 million, or 11.2% of the total population, a new low. Previously, data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in February also showed that Japan's population born in 2024 has written a new low.

Japan's unemployment rate, at 2.4 percent, is the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and has remained below 3 percent for four years in a row. Japan is expected to face a labor shortage of 11 million by 2040, according to an estimate by Recruit Works, a research institute.

The latest figures show that the number of expatriates increased for the third consecutive year, up 342,000 from the previous year, helping to stem some of the decline in the overall population.