The population of Japan contracted half a million last yr, emphasizing the growing challenges in the country in the fight against labor shortages and financing its social security system with a shrinking tax basis.
The general population dropped by 550,000 from the previous yr to 123.8 million in 2024, based on a series of declines as much as 14 years data From October 2024, issued on Monday by the Ministry of the Interior and Communication. The number of Japanese residents themselves dropped by 898,000, the strongest fall from the time of comparable records began in 1950.
The data is one other reminder of the gloomy demographic perspective of Japan, raising alarms about the sustainable development of the social care system, because the number of authors is decreasing. Number of people aged 15 to 64 – the core of the workforce – from 224,000 to 73.7 million, intensifying the fiscal load for the nation that already has the highest level GDP debt indicator Among developed economies.
Data also shows that the population of children in Japan has dropped by 343,000 to 13.8 million, i.e. a record level of 11.2% of the total. This inheritance occurs after the data of the Ministry of Labor published in February, as a result of which the birth fell to New historical lowStrengthening the fears of the long -term future of national industries amongst the decreasing supply of recent employees.
The Japanese unemployment rate is 2.4%, the lowest amongst OECD countries and remained below 3% for 4 years. It is anticipated that by 2040 Japan will face a shortage of working force of 11 million estimate by the Recruit Works Institute.
Partly compensating for the overall deficiency of the population, the number of foreign inhabitants increased for the third yr in a row, increased by 342,000 from a yr earlier, results from the latest data.
Japanese population misfortunes reflect wider global patterns. South Korea Fertility indicator Last yr, it barely increased for the first time in nine years, but with only 0.75 it remains well below the exchange rate. In France Take birth Accelerated in 2023 at the fastest pace for half a century, while China The population has dropped For three consecutive years.
This story was originally presented at fortune.com
