Record low level of child population recorded in Japan

Japan's child population, which has been declining for the 45th year in a row, has reached a new low of 13.29 million people. It was reported on May 5 by Japan Today.

"As of April 1, the number of children in Japan has decreased to about 13.29 million people, which is 350 thousand less than a year earlier, and is a new record low," the publication notes.

It is specified that the child population is also record low relative to the total population. In 2026, the proportion of children under the age of 15 decreased by 0.3 percentage points to a minimum of 10.8%.

According to the newspaper, for the first time such sociological data were obtained in 1950.

"Although the Japanese government has prioritized measures to combat the declining birth rate and designated the period until 2030 as the last opportunity to reverse the trend, the decline has been going on for 45 years, despite steps such as expanding financial support for families raising children," the article says.

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In December 2025, it became known that the birth rate in Japan in 2025 could fall to the lowest level for the entire period of statistical observations since 1899 and be lower than even the most pessimistic forecasts of the government amid the accelerating decline in the country's population. Japan may reach such a low indicator 16 years earlier than predicted — initially, a drop below 670,000 was expected only after 2040.