In Japan, child population reaches 41-year low owing to COVID-19 pandemic

The Japanese Government released data on Wednesday which suggests that the estimated child population in the country has dropped for the 41st year in a row to a historic low, which illustrates the country's ageing demographic. The reason for this is said to be the decision of people not to have children owing to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The data which was released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry stated that the number of children aged 14 and under, including foreign nationals, remained at 14.65 million on April 1, which is around 250,000 less than a year earlier and the lowest figure since data began available in 1950. In 1954, Japan's children population reached a high of 29.89 million. The number briefly increased in the early 1970s, but it has been steadily declining since 1982.

Japan has the lowest such ratio among the 35 nations

As per the reports of Kyodo News, the proportion of children in Japan's overall population has likewise dropped to a historic low of 11.7%, down 0.1 percentage point for the 48th year in a row. United Nations Demographic Yearbook suggests that Japan has the lowest such ratio among the 35 nations with populations of over 40 million, dipping below Italy's 12.9% and South Korea's 11.9%. For the first time since 1999, all 47 of Japan's prefectures reported a decrease in child population from the previous year.

The data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also stated that boys made up 7.51 million of the total population, while girls made up 7.15 million. There were 3.23 million children aged 12 to 14, compared to 2.51 million children under the age of two, indicating that the size of each cohort is proportional to their age. Japan's southern prefecture Okinawa had the largest proportion of children in its overall population, at 16.5%, while Akita, which is the northeastern prefecture of the country had the lowest, at 9.5%.

Japan's population has been declining since 2008

Japan's population has been declining since 2008, and the rate of decline is increasing with each passing year. Approximately 20,000 individuals died in the country in 2008. By 2019, the number had risen to almost half a million, according to Japan Times. Japan lost almost 640,000 people in 2021, as the most recent figures suggest.

Image: Pixabay