Japan's population has been falling for 13 years

According to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's population has been experiencing a consecutive decline for the last 13 years. Based on the data, as of October 2023, Japan's total population has fallen to 124 million 352 thousand.

Excluding foreign residents with residency status in the country, the Japanese population decreased by 837 thousand compared to the previous year, reaching 121 million 193 thousand.

This marks the largest decline recorded since data collection began in 1950.

POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS

While the population aged 65 and over rose to 36 million 227 thousand and the population aged 75 and over reached 20.08 million, the population between the ages of 0-14 fell to 14 million 173 thousand.

In the new population breakdown, the segment aged 65 and over was recorded at 29.1 percent, the segment aged 75 and over at 16.1 percent, and the segment aged 0-14 at 11.4 percent.

The population between the ages of 15-64, considered the "working age," was calculated at 73 million 952 thousand, a decrease of 256 thousand compared to the previous year.

FOREIGN POPULATION ROSE TO 3.16 MILLION

Among the 47 administrative regions that make up Japan, the capital Tokyo was the only region to see an increase in population, with a growth rate of 0.34 percent.

The highest population losses occurred in the prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, and Yamagata, all located in the "Tohoku" region in the northeast.

The foreign population residing in the country increased by 243 thousand, rising to 3.16 million.