Population Growth Hits Postwar Low in Japan

As of October 1, 2004, Japan's population growth hit its post-World War II low in terms of both the net increase and the growth rate, according to an estimate released by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The total estimated population of Japan as of the above date was 127,687,000, an increase of 67,000 from the preceding year. The growth rate was 0.05 percent.

The male population declined for the first time in the postwar period, down 9,000 to 62,295,000. The female population was 65,392,000, up 76,000. The natural increase, the difference between the number of newborns and the number of deaths, was 102,000, the lowest in postwar period. The social increase, the difference between the number of people entering the country and the number leaving, decreased by 35,000.

Results of population changes by age group showed that children aged 0 to 14 numbered 17,734,000, accounting for 13.9 percent of the total population, 0.1 percent less than the previous year. The productive-age population aged 15 to 64 was 85,077,000, accounting for 66.6 percent, a 0.3 percent decrease. The elder population 65 and over was 24,876,000, accounting for 19.5 percent, a 0.5 percent increase. The population aged 90 and over exceeded one million for the first time, at 1,016,000, accounting for 0.8 percent of the total population.


http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/2004np/index.htm

Posted: 2005/05/17 10:48:59 PM
Japanese version