Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
Government data shows just over 671,000 babies were born in 2025, a drop of nearly 15,000 from the previous year and the lowest figure since records began in 1899. The fertility rate also declined to a record low of 1.14, marking the tenth consecutive year of falling births.
The pace of decline has alarmed experts, with the latest figures falling much faster than previously projected. Government researchers had expected fertility to reach such levels only in the 2040s.
A significant factor behind the trend is a steady drop in marriages. Annual marriages have fallen from nearly 800,000 at the start of the century to around 500,000, reducing the number of families being formed.
Despite fewer marriages, surveys indicate that around 80% of single Japanese people still hope to marry. However, experts say social changes are making it more difficult for people to meet potential partners.
Traditional routes such as workplaces, schools and mutual connections have declined in importance, partly due to the rise of remote working and greater concerns about privacy and workplace conduct.
As a result, structured matchmaking services and marriage agencies are seeing renewed interest, particularly among younger people seeking long-term relationships.
Japan’s ageing and shrinking population remains one of its most pressing challenges, with potential consequences for economic growth, labour shortages and the sustainability of social welfare systems.
The Japanese government has introduced a range of measures in recent years to boost birth rates, including financial incentives for families and expanded childcare support, but the latest figures suggest these efforts have yet to reverse the long-term trend.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washin...
A Miami-based tycoon wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Donald Trump’s son-in-law ...
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged...
A Miami-based tycoon wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner wants to build a controversial multi-billion dollar resort, the country’s organised crime agency said in case files reviewed by Reuters.
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged bribery and tender-rigging.
A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering British politician Ann Widdecombe has been released and is no longer part of the investigation, UK police have said.
Israel's decision to recognise the so-called Armenian genocide has triggered diplomatic tensions with Azerbaijan, one of its closest strategic partners.
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled across East Asia as Super Typhoon Bavi approaches China. The typhoon, which has maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100mph), is nearing a remote chain of Japanese islands, east of Taiwan on Friday.
This is the last of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged bribery and tender-rigging.
Temperatures above 40°C are scorching parts of Central Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that extreme heat is becoming an increasing public health threat across the region.
This is the third of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has agreed to resume talks with Iran after Tehran requested further negotiations, but declared that last month's ceasefire between the two countries was "over".
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment