Japan’s child population has hit a record low, continuing its long-running decline and exacerbating the East Asian country’s demographic crisis.
Figures released by the internal affairs ministry on Monday showed there were 13.29 million children aged 15 and under as of 1 April 2026, down 350,000 from a year earlier.
This is the lowest such figure since recordkeeping began in 1950 and marks the 45th consecutive year of decline.
Children now account for 10.8 per cent of the total population, the lowest proportion on record.
The estimates, which include foreign residents, are based on population data linked to the census.
The data was released ahead of Children’s Day on Tuesday.
The government has identified the period through 2030 as a “final opportunity to reverse the trend”, even though steps such as expanding financial support for child-rearing households have not helped thus far.
By gender, according to the data, there were 6.81 million boys and 6.48 million girls.
By age group, older children outnumbered younger ones. Compared to 3.09 million children aged 12 to 14, there were 2.13 million aged 0 to 2.
Separate preliminary data from the ministry of health showed that births in 2025 fell to a record low of 705,809, declining for the 10th consecutive year.
Japan’s child population peaked at 29.89 million in 1954 and started falling in 1982.
The proportion of children to the total population has been declining for 52 straight years since 1975.
According to a United Nations survey, Japan has the second-lowest share of children among countries with populations of more than 40 million, behind South Korea, where the ratio is 10.2 per cent.
In February last year, it was reported that the number of babies born in Japan had dropped to the lowest since records began 125 years ago, falling for the ninth straight year despite efforts by the government to reverse the decline.
Japan recorded 720,988 births in 2024, five per cent down from the previous year, the health ministry said at the time.
Last January, an expert on demographic trends and ageing societies warned that if Japan’s birthrate continued its current decline, the country would be left with only one child under the age of 14 by 5 January 2720.
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