Government data reveals a worrying demographic
trend in Japan ,
with the country experiencing a drop in births to levels never seen before, in
addition to recording more than twice as many deaths as new babies. According
to official figures, marriages were also found to have reached their lowest
level since 1933. These numbers underscore the dramatic demographic
challenges facing the world's third-largest economy , including a
shortage of workers and the provision of health care for women. tenth of the
population that is now over 80 years of age.
Births in 2023 decreased for the eighth
consecutive year, reaching 758,631 , representing a decrease
of 5.1 percent, according to preliminary data. The number of deaths,
which amounted to 1,590,503, was more than double that figure ,
meaning that the overall population decreased by 831,872 people. Births peaked
in the postwar period between 1947 and 1949, with more than 2.5 million people
born each year, according to a health ministry official in charge of the data.
During a second baby boom between 1971 and 1974, the annual
number of births remained around two million.
In 2023, 489,281 marriages were registered,
representing a decrease of 5.9 percent from the previous year and the first
time they have been below half a million. This figure is the
lowest since 1933, when 486,058 couples were married. Back then, the Japanese
population was approximately 70 million compared to around 124 million today.
The decline in births and marriages poses
significant challenges for Japan, not only in terms of population growth and
labor force, but also in the sustainability of its social security and
healthcare system in a context in which the proportion of older people
continues to increase. As the population ages and declines,
it is crucial that the country implements effective policies and programs to
address these demographic issues and ensure a prosperous and sustainable future
for generations to come.
Now, for every baby born in Japan, two people
die, what do Internet users have to say?
- " People
who don't want to get married in the first place probably don't want to
have children either, the problem lies there ."
- « If
your child ends up being a NEET, obviously no one will want to have
children and take the risk .»
- " There
is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen in the future ."
- " In
Japan, where there are a lot of old women and national policies are weak,
they will take you crazy if you say you want to have children ."
- « In
the past, people used to work because they worried about their future
retirement. Nowadays, they worry more about the future of their children
only to be abandoned when they grow old .
- « It
is a very complicated game for women. Once they become pregnant, their
role in society changes forever. "Not everyone wants to be chained to
a family ."
- « I
don't know how long we will last, but it is natural that more and more
people do not want to dedicate their precious and limited time to taking
care of children .»
- « If
you are a housewife, you don't want to earn a lot. It is too hard for
women to raise children while working. Men also want more daycares, but
there are almost no companies that have such a good environment .
- " I
also feel sorry for the children who will live in the future ."
- « It
takes a lot of money and a lot of effort if you want to have a decent
child. It is impossible for a woman to raise a child while she works .
- " Because
of a certain incompetent government there is no money ."
- « I
can't be so pitiful as to bring a life and make it suffer 100% for my own
ego in this shitty world .»
- " I
can't bring a child to the living hell that is Japan ."
- « We
are a society that only needs highly qualified people. The bottom line is
that you cannot have a baby and then look for work when the child grows up .
- « When
I was young, I said I would never get married: I didn't want to have
children. But when I got married and had children, I thought the opposite.
You should try it once . »
Source: Yaraon!
