TOKYO: 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 percent 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. 

Reuters