Fertility rate: births per woman in Japan
Japan: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.21 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
216th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.62 live births per woman
in 1950
All-time low
1.21 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.21 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Japan peaked at 3.62 live births per woman in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.21 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Japan 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Japan, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.62 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.23 live births per woman | -10.8% |
| 1952 | 2.95 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 2.67 live births per woman | -9.3% |
| 1954 | 2.47 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1955 | 2.35 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1956 | 2.21 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1957 | 2.04 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1958 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1960 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1962 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.95 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 2.09 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.63 live births per woman | -21.9% |
| 1967 | 2.16 live births per woman | +32.2% |
| 1968 | 2.06 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.09 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.06 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.92 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.84 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.79 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 1.77 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.78 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.55 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.48 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.47 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.38 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.37 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.34 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.35 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.32 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.31 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.28 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.28 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.25 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.28 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.3 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.36 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.38 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.39 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.42 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.39 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.37 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.27 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.26 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.21 live births per woman | -3.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 80% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 57% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility rate: births per woman in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +32.2% | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.04 live births per woman | 3.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 2.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.55 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.34 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.32 live births per woman | 1.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.26 live births per woman | 1.21 live births per woman | 1.3 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Japan?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Japan was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.62 live births per woman in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Japan ranks 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.