The population of Japan has by over three million in the past five years. This is the largest drop since records in 1920. Japan's internal affairs ministry has preliminary figures for its 2025 census. This demographic survey is every five years. The latest one that the number of residents in October 2025 was 123,049,524. This was a drop of 3,096,575 from the 2020 survey — a fall of 2.5 per cent. The census is the third in a row to a decrease. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said: "It was again that the population decline is even further." He to promote "comprehensive measures" to the downturn.
The government the decline to various factors. These historically low birth rates. In 2025, there around 706,000 births in Japan. This to around 2.5 million annual births during the postwar baby boom. Successive governments have many measures to couples to have babies. They have child allowances, increased parental leave, and early years education. However, these have little success. Japan is one of the world's oldest societies. The increasingly greying population is considerable strain on healthcare systems, pensions, and the labour force.
