Japan's estimated child population shrank for the 43rd consecutive year to renew its record low, government data showed Saturday, while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government scrambles to address the issue through "unprecedented" measures. The ratio of children to the overall population fell 0.2 percentage point to 11.3 percent, also the lowest since comparable data became available in 1950. According to U.N. data, Japan has the second lowest ratio of children among 37 nations with a population of at least 40 million, only behind South Korea with 11.2 percent. By age, 3.17 million children were in the 12 to 14 age group compared with 2.35 million in the 0 to 2 age group, indicating a continuing trend of fewer children being born. Japan's child population has fallen since 1982, having peaked in 1954 at 29.89 million, with a second baby boom observed between 1971 and 1974.

Source: Libya Today May 05, 2024 10:28 UTC