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
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
| 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% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 9.8 Percentage of live births is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.85 Percentage of live births, 1.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Japan's 9.8 Percentage of live births is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.4 Percentage of live births, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 3 Poland 5.4 Percentage of live births compare
- 3 Slovenia 5.4 Percentage of live births compare
- 3 Croatia 5.4 Percentage of live births compare
- 3 Colombia 11 Percentage of live births compare
- 4 Thailand 10.3 Percentage of live births compare
- 5 Lithuania 4.3 Percentage of live births compare
- 5 Indonesia 9.9 Percentage of live births compare
- 6 Greece 9.8 Percentage of live births compare
- 6 Latvia 4.2 Percentage of live births compare
- 7 Estonia 4.1 Percentage of live births compare
- 8 Bulgaria 9.4 Percentage of live births compare
- 9 Costa Rica 8.8 Percentage of live births compare
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (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)
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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About this data
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.