Japan’s Population Falls Below 120 Million as Birth Rate Hits Record Low
Japan’s population has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, according to government figures released on July 29, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the number of Japanese residents stood at 119.74 million, down 0.76% from a year earlier. The country’s Japanese population has now declined for 17 consecutive years after peaking in 2009. Meanwhile, the foreign-resident population rose by 353,696, or 9.62%, to a record 4.03 million. Japan’s total population, including foreign nationals, is now 123.8 million. Japan’s fertility rate fell to a new low of 1.14 in 2025, while births dropped by nearly 15,000 to just over 670,000, the lowest figure recorded since 1899. The ageing population is worsening labour shortages, increasing social-security costs and shrinking the tax base in the world’s fourth-largest economy.
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