Infant health: low birthweight in Japan

Japan: Infant health: low birthweight was 9.8 Percentage of live births in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
9.8 Percentage of live births
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
6th
of 41 countries
All-time high
9.8 Percentage of live births
in 2024
All-time low
4.9 Percentage of live births
in 1976
Years of data
57
1968–2024

Infant health: low birthweight in Japan, 1968–2024

0246810196819962024

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of live births.

Analysis

In 2024, infant health: low birthweight in Japan stood at 9.8 Percentage of live births. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant health: low birthweight in Japan peaked at 9.8 Percentage of live births in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4.9 Percentage of live births, in 1976.

Japan ranks 6th of 41 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.

Infant health: low birthweight in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Infant health: low birthweight in Japan, 1968 to 2024.
Year Percentage of live births Change
1968 6 Percentage of live births
1969 5.8 Percentage of live births -3.3%
1970 5.7 Percentage of live births -1.7%
1971 5.4 Percentage of live births -5.3%
1972 5.3 Percentage of live births -1.9%
1973 5.2 Percentage of live births -1.9%
1974 5.2 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1975 5.1 Percentage of live births -1.9%
1976 4.9 Percentage of live births -3.9%
1977 5 Percentage of live births +2.0%
1978 5 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1979 5 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1980 5.2 Percentage of live births +4.0%
1981 5.3 Percentage of live births +1.9%
1982 5.2 Percentage of live births -1.9%
1983 5.4 Percentage of live births +3.8%
1984 5.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1985 5.5 Percentage of live births +1.9%
1986 5.6 Percentage of live births +1.8%
1987 5.7 Percentage of live births +1.8%
1988 5.8 Percentage of live births +1.8%
1989 6.1 Percentage of live births +5.2%
1990 6.3 Percentage of live births +3.3%
1991 6.5 Percentage of live births +3.2%
1992 6.7 Percentage of live births +3.1%
1993 6.8 Percentage of live births +1.5%
1994 7.1 Percentage of live births +4.4%
1995 7.5 Percentage of live births +5.6%
1996 7.5 Percentage of live births +0.0%
1997 7.9 Percentage of live births +5.3%
1998 8.1 Percentage of live births +2.5%
1999 8.4 Percentage of live births +3.7%
2000 8.6 Percentage of live births +2.4%
2001 8.8 Percentage of live births +2.3%
2002 9 Percentage of live births +2.3%
2003 9.1 Percentage of live births +1.1%
2004 9.4 Percentage of live births +3.3%
2005 9.5 Percentage of live births +1.1%
2006 9.6 Percentage of live births +1.1%
2007 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2008 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2009 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2010 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2011 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2012 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2013 9.6 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2014 9.5 Percentage of live births -1.0%
2015 9.5 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2016 9.4 Percentage of live births -1.1%
2017 9.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2018 9.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2019 9.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2020 9.2 Percentage of live births -2.1%
2021 9.4 Percentage of live births +2.2%
2022 9.4 Percentage of live births +0.0%
2023 9.6 Percentage of live births +2.1%
2024 9.8 Percentage of live births +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 5.9 Percentage of live births 5.8 Percentage of live births 6 Percentage of live births 2
1970s 5.18 Percentage of live births 4.9 Percentage of live births 5.7 Percentage of live births 10
1980s 5.52 Percentage of live births 5.2 Percentage of live births 6.1 Percentage of live births 10
1990s 7.28 Percentage of live births 6.3 Percentage of live births 8.4 Percentage of live births 10
2000s 9.28 Percentage of live births 8.6 Percentage of live births 9.6 Percentage of live births 10
2010s 9.5 Percentage of live births 9.4 Percentage of live births 9.6 Percentage of live births 10
2020s 9.48 Percentage of live births 9.2 Percentage of live births 9.8 Percentage of live births 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 3 Colombia 11 Percentage of live births compare
  2. 4 Thailand 10.3 Percentage of live births compare
  3. 5 Indonesia 9.9 Percentage of live births compare
  4. 6 Greece 9.8 Percentage of live births compare
  5. 8 Bulgaria 9.4 Percentage of live births compare
  6. 9 Costa Rica 8.8 Percentage of live births compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More health data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant health: low birthweight in Japan?
Infant health: low birthweight in Japan was 9.8 Percentage of live births in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 9.8 Percentage of live births in 2024.
What is the lowest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.9 Percentage of live births in 1976.
How does Japan rank for infant health: low birthweight?
Japan ranks 6th out of 41 countries with data for 2024.
Is infant health: low birthweight rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Infant health: low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Infant health: low birthweight in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-health-low-birthweight/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant health: low birthweight
Unit
Percentage of live births
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 2,043 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents time series on the number of live births weighing less than 2500 grams as a percentage of the total number of live births. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.