Birth rates in Japan this year is expected to fall below last year’s record low, as people struggle with high living costs and slow wage increases.
In January-September, a total of 599,636 babies were born, a 4.9% decrease to last year’s figure, and is expected to fall below last year’s record low of 811,000 babies.
The government’s payment subsidies for pregnancy, childbirth and child care, have had limited impact in encouraging people to have more babies.
In 1973, the number of births in Japan peaked at 2.1 million. In 2040, the number of babies born is projected to fall to 740,000.
