Japan’s total fertility rate falls for 3rd straight year

June 7, 2019

Tokyo--Japan's total fertility rate, or the average number of births expected for a women in her lifetime, fell 0.01 point from the previous year to 1.42 in 2018, down for the third straight year, the health ministry said Friday.

By age group, the total fertility rate was highest among women in their early 30s, followed by those in their late 20s. The rate for women of 40 or older showed a year-on-year increase.

By prefecture, Okinawa had the highest fertility rate, at 1.89, followed by Shimane, with 1.74, and Miyazaki, with 1.72.

Tokyo recorded the lowest figure, at 1.20, and Hokkaido and Kyoto logged the second and third lowest numbers, with 1.27 and 1.29, respectively.

Meanwhile, the number of children who were born in 2018 dropped 27,668 to 918,397, hitting a new record low, while the number of people who died in the year rose 22,085 to 1,362,482, the ministry also said.

The natural population decline, or the number of deaths minus that of births, came to 444,085, exceeding the 400,000 mark for the first time. The speed of decline increased for the 12th consecutive year.

All prefectures except Okinawa had increases in the number of deaths.

Of the deaths in 2018, 27.4 pct were caused by cancer, 15.3 pct by heart disease, 8.0 pct by old age and 7.9 pct by cerebral vascular disease.

The number of couples who married in 2018 sank to 586,438, the lowest figure since the end of World War II. The average age of first marriage stood at 31.1 for men and 29.4 for women. The average age of first birth for women was 30.7. Jiji Press