Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Japan
Japan: Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) was 5.7 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Birth rate, crude in Japan, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2024, birth rate, crude in Japan stood at 5.7 per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.0% on the previous year and down 28.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in Japan peaked at 19.4 per 1,000 people in 1967 and was at its lowest, 5.7 per 1,000 people, in 2024.
Japan ranks 212th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Japan, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.2 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 16.9 per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 17 per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 17.3 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 17.7 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 18.6 per 1,000 people | +5.1% |
| 1966 | 13.7 per 1,000 people | -26.3% |
| 1967 | 19.4 per 1,000 people | +41.6% |
| 1968 | 18.6 per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 18.5 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 18.8 per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 19.2 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 19.3 per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 19.4 per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 18.6 per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1975 | 17.1 per 1,000 people | -8.1% |
| 1976 | 16.3 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 15.5 per 1,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 14.9 per 1,000 people | -3.9% |
| 1979 | 14.2 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 13.6 per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 13 per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 12.8 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 12.7 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 12.5 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 11.9 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 11.4 per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 11.1 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 10.8 per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 10.2 per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 1990 | 10 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 9.9 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 9.8 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 9.6 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 10 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 9.6 per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 9.7 per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 9.5 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 9.6 per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 9.4 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 9.5 per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 9.3 per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 9.2 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 8.9 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 8.8 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 8.4 per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 8.7 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 8.6 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 8.7 per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 8.5 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 8.5 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8.3 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 8.2 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 8.2 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 8 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7.8 per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 7.6 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 7.4 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 7 per 1,000 people | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 6.8 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 6.6 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 6.3 per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 6 per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 5.7 per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.5 per 1,000 people, 60% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 5.7 per 1,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.76 per 1,000 people, 36% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +41.6% | 13.7 per 1,000 people | 19.4 per 1,000 people |
| 1966 | -26.3% | 18.6 per 1,000 people | 13.7 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.49 per 1,000 people | 13.7 per 1,000 people | 19.4 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.33 per 1,000 people | 14.2 per 1,000 people | 19.4 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 12 per 1,000 people | 10.2 per 1,000 people | 13.6 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.71 per 1,000 people | 9.4 per 1,000 people | 10 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.86 per 1,000 people | 8.4 per 1,000 people | 9.5 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.9 per 1,000 people | 7 per 1,000 people | 8.5 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.28 per 1,000 people | 5.7 per 1,000 people | 6.8 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 178 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0155 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0163 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate, crude in Japan?
- Birth rate, crude in Japan was 5.7 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest birth rate, crude recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4 per 1,000 people in 1967.
- What is the lowest birth rate, crude recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7 per 1,000 people in 2024.
- How does Japan rank for birth rate, crude?
- Japan ranks 212th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.