Tokyo (TIP): The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday, highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the preliminary health ministry data showed, down 2.1 percent from 2024.
The data includes births to Japanese nationals in Japan, foreign births in Japan and babies born to Japanese nationals overseas.
The world’s fourth-biggest economy has one of the world’s lowest birth rates and a falling population.
This is already leading to a host of problems including labour shortages, a ballooning social security bill and fewer working people paying tax.
This in turn is adding to Japan’s huge debts. It already has the highest debt ratio among major economies.
Successive Japanese leaders — including Takaichi, the country’s first woman premier — have promised to increase births but with limited success.
“The declining birth rate and shrinking population are a quiet state of emergency that will gradually erode our country’s vitality,” Takaichi said in parliament last week.
Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a two-thirds majority in February 8 snap elections.
Increasing immigration would help reverse Japan’s falling population and the associated problems in the labour market.
Under pressure from the “Japanese first” Sanseito party, the right-wing Takaichi has however vowed tougher measures on immigration.
Singapore Fertility Rate Posts
‘Significant’ Drop to Record Low
Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to 0.87 in 2025, marking a record low that a top official warned could profoundly reshape the city-state’s society and economy. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong told parliament Thursday the citizen population is projected to begin shrinking by the early 2040s without new measures. The fertility rate declined from 0.97 in 2024, which was also a record low. A decade ago, it stood at 1.24.
The falling birth rate underscores the difficulty the government faces in persuading people to have more children despite years of pro-family incentives. A shrinking workforce and rapidly aging population can reduce tax revenue and strain pension and health care systems.
While the issue is global it’s of acute concern in Asia, where the total fertility rate across the region in 2024 fell to 1.9, below what’s considered replacement level, according report this week from Bank of America, which noted cities such as Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong have hit record lows.
“The ultra-low fertility levels create a structural demographic headwind for Asia: populations will age more rapidly, begin shrinking sooner, and become more top-heavy with elderly residents,” the bank’s analysts wrote.
South Korea’s overall fertility rate rose for a second year in 2025, data showed this week, although it’s still among the lowest globally at 0.8. Japan on Thursday reported births fell for a 10th year.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s government recently announced plans to spend nearly S$7 billion ($5.5 billion) on marriage and parenthood initiatives in the 2026 financial year.
Singapore is on track to become a “super-aged” society this year, with 21% of its population 65 and older. The low fertility rate comes as marriages have also declined. Singapore recorded 24,687 marriages last year, a 6.2% drop from 2024, The Straits Times reported, citing government data.
Even with immigration, Gan said Thursday the growth of Singapore’s citizen population has slowed over the past decade from 0.9% per annum between 2015 and 2020 to 0.8% between 2020 and 2025.
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