Japan witnessed a record low of 720,988 births in 2024, highlighting an aging and shrinking population. Despite initiatives by former PM Fumio Kishida, births continued to decline. Meanwhile, South Korea saw a fertility rate rise.

The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population.

The number of babies born in Japan fell for a ninth consecutive year to hit a record low 720,988 in 2024, the health ministry said on Thursday, the latest data underscoring the rapid shrinkage and ageing of the country's population.

Japan's birth rate hit a record low in 2024, with only 720,988 babies born, marking a ninth year of decline. Despite government measures, births fell by 5% compared to the previous year. Economists link the trend to fewer marriages and societal shifts,

The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 marking the ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Births in Japan hit another record low in 2024, falling for the ninth-straight year as young people delay marriage while the elderly population rises, government data showed Thursday. The numbers highlight the dramatic demographic challenges facing the world's fourth-biggest economy,

The number of newborns in 2024 dropped 5 per cent from the previous year to 720,988, extending a nine-year streak of declines.