World population trend

Japanese population has decreased by three million in five years

The Japanese population has decreased by three million in five years, writes the New York Times.

Last year, the population figure reached 123 million, which can be compared with 126.1 million in 2020. The number of inhabitants is now at the same level as in 1989 and according to forecasts, they are expected to be 87 million in 2070.

For every newborn person in the country, two deaths occur, making the demographic crisis in the country one of the worst in the world.

Expert: Cannot be reversed without mass immigration

Japan's population trend cannot be reversed in the short or medium term without mass immigration, sociology professor James Raymo tells the New York Times. He says that the government's measures to increase childbearing have made little difference.

Other countries will see similar declines, he says.

– Japan is just at the forefront and has had the problem for much longer.

Japan's population decreased by just over three million people between 2020 and 2025.