Japan’s latest census for the year 2025 shows the country’s population has dwindled for the third consecutive survey with experts warning that the impact of a low birth rate and an ageing population could hit the future workforce of the East Asian nation.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s population was at 123.05 million, 2.5%, or 3.09 million, significantly lower than in 2020, when the census indicated a mere 0.7% decline in the Japanese population.
Struggling to recover
The ministry said that the Japanese population has not recovered since the decline was observed in 2016.
The data reported that the slump in population was observed in most rural and faraway prefectures.
The biggest drop was seen in Hokkaido, after seeing 239,000 deaths in 2025, followed by Shizuoka with 164,000 and Hyogo with 141,000.
But the same report also showed that Tokyo alone held 11.6% of Japan’s population, or equivalent to a whopping 14.24 million residents, proving that the city is the biggest in the world.
Due to the sluggish growth in the number of Japanese families, the survey has also indicated a growing number of single-person households, after the same data showed that the average number of people per household was only 2.15 in 2025, a stark difference from the 3.45 back in 1970.
Factors why Japan’s population is getting smaller
The ministry has pointed to the country’s ageing population and the casualties from the strings of natural disasters that hit Japan as the reasons for the huge decline in terms of population.
Experts have also blamed the stagnant economy that has hindered couples from bearing children, while some have chosen to be in “singlehood” due to the pressures of gender norms in the Japanese society.
In 2025, official data indicated that only 705,809 babies were born, marking the 10th straight year that the country has seen its population in freefall.
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The solution – and is it working?
The Japanese government has long acknowledged the current state of the number of Japanese people and how it would affect the future of the nation.
Some of the social programs that Japan has rolled out include childbirth and housing allowances to entice couples and single people alike to start and build a family of their own.
Although experts believe that such decade-old steps have yet to bear fruitful results as the number of Japanese elderly remains dominant, accounting to 30% of Japan’s population, against the youth, including the child-bearing and working age.
Others have pointed out the potential saving grace of inviting more immigrants and foreigners to the country.
However, such a notion remains a taboo in the Japanese society, so much so that even Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has rolled out stricter regulations on foreign nationals seeking to migrate in the East Asian nation.
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Jheruleene Anne Ramos 
Shameeka Voyiya 
Newsjustnews writers