Tokyo, June 3 (BNA): Government data showed today, Friday, that Japan recorded a record low number of births in 2021, which led to the largest natural decline ever in the population.
There were 811,604 births last year, the lowest number in Health Department data going back to 1899. Reuters said deaths jumped to 1,439,809, resulting in an overall decrease of 628,205 in the population.
The total fertility rate – the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime – has fallen for the sixth consecutive year to 1.3.
Japan has one of the fastest aging populations on Earth, and the country’s closed borders over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the shrinkage of its workforce.
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