The number of children in Japan has fallen to 15.53 million, a new low in 37 years and 17,000 fewer than the previous…
The number of children in Japan has fallen to 15.53 million, a new low in 37 years and 17,000 fewer than the previous year.
According to data from the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of April 1,2018, the population of children below 15 follows a decreasing trend since 1987.
The proportion of children to the total population is the lowest it has been in 44 years at 12.3 percent.
Boys outnumber girls in the country by some 370,000; there are 7.95 million boys and 7.58 million girls.
Among prefectures, only Tokyo in Kanagawa prefecture saw an increase in the population of children, a pattern for the past four years. The prefecture with the highest proportion of children is Okinawa prefecture at 17.1 percent, while the lowest is Akita prefecture at 10.1 percent.
Declining birthrates are not new to the country and are a common trend among high-income countries, including South Korea and Singapore.
