Japan's population falls three million in five years
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The population of Japan has fallen by over three million in the past five years. This is the largest drop since records began in 1920. Japan's internal affairs ministry has released preliminary figures for its 2025 census. This demographic survey is conducted every five years. The latest one reveals 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 show a decrease. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said: "It was confirmed again that the population decline is advancing even further." He vowed to promote "comprehensive measures" to address the downturn.
The government attributed the decline to various factors. These included historically low birth rates. In 2025, there were around 706,000 births in Japan. This compared to around 2.5 million annual births during the postwar baby boom. Successive governments have introduced many measures to encourage couples to have babies. They have expanded child allowances, increased parental leave, and subsidized early years education. However, these have had little success. Japan is one of the world's oldest societies. The increasingly greying population is putting considerable strain on healthcare systems, pensions, and the labour force.
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