Japan's health ministry described the nation's birth rate as "critical" as it hit a record low for the eighth straight year.Japan’s health ministry described the nation’s birth rate as “critical” on Wednesday as it hit a record low for the eighth straight year, with the government moving to improve support for parents.
The figure was down from 1.26 in 2022 and was the eighth consecutive yearly decline in the country of 124 million people. “Various factors, such as economic instability and difficulties in juggling work and child-rearing,” can be blamed for the falling figures, she said.Declining birth rates are a common trend in developed countries and Japan’s rate is still above that of its neighbour South Korea, which has the world’s lowest at 0.72.However, with the world’s oldest population after Monaco, Japan is scrambling for ways to encourage a baby boom to avert a looming demographic crisis.
It was the latest government push to boost birth rates, an issue that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has highlighted as an urgent risk to Japanese society.
Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: BusinessTechSA - 🏆 24. / 61 Read more »