TOKYO (Reuters) – 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.
Births declined 5% from a year earlier, while the number of deaths hit a record high of 1.62 million, meaning more than two people died for every new baby born.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
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