Japan's birth rate has fallen to a record low.

Japan's birth rate is expected to reach a record low of 1.2 by the end of 2023, Nikkei Asia reports, citing calculations by Takuya Hoshino, an economist at Daiichi, the country's largest insurance company.

The indicator represents the average number of children a Japanese woman is expected to have in her lifetime. According to Hoshino's calculations, the demographic decline is outpacing the government's forecast.

According to the expert, approximately 731,000 children will be born in Japan in 2023. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Population Research projected 739,000 births in 2023, resulting in a total fertility rate of 1.23.

The birth rate in Japan has been declining for the eighth consecutive year, Nikkei Asia reports. The decline in the number of children in families is partly due to a decline in marriages during the pandemic.covid-19 . According to the portal, this figure fell by 12% in 2020 compared to the previous year. Economic uncertainty also contributed to the decline in the birth rate.

In the spring of 2023, the Japanese Ministry of HEALTH reported that the country had seen its lowest number of births in 2022. The number of newborns fell to 799,728, a 5.1% decrease compared to 2021. The number of births in 2022 is the lowest since record-keeping began in 1899. Meanwhile, the number of deaths in Japan increased by 8.9% in 2022, reaching 1.58 million.