Number of babies born in Japan falls to record low | Inquirer News

Number of babies born in Japan falls to record low

/ 04:53 PM June 04, 2021

Number of babies born in Japan falls to record low

FILE PHOTO: Passersby wearing protective masks stroll through Kabukicho entertainment district during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo

TOKYO The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low last year, the health ministry said on Friday, as more couples put off marriage and starting a family amid a global pandemic.

The number of births fell to 840,832 in 2020, down 2.8% from a year earlier and the lowest since records began in 1899, the ministry said.

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The coronavirus outbreak has hit birth rates around the world, including in the United States, despite early speculation that pandemic-related lockdowns may lead to a global baby boom.

The number of registered marriages in Japan fell 12.3% last year to 525,490, a post-war record, the ministry said. The country’s fertility rate, the expected number of births per woman, declined to 1.34, among the lowest in the world.

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TAGS: babies, birth rate, Japan, Population

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