The population Japan has fallen over three million the past five years. This is the largest drop since records began 1920. Japan's internal affairs ministry has released preliminary figures its 2025 census. This demographic survey is conducted every five years. The latest one reveals that the number residents October 2025 was 123,049,524. This was a drop 3,096,575 from the 2020 survey — a fall 2.5 per cent. The census is the third 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. 2025, there were 706,000 births Japan. This compared to around 2.5 million annual births 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 the world's oldest societies. The increasingly greying population is putting considerable strain healthcare systems, pensions, and the labour force.
