Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan
Japan: Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.21 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
216th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.62 live births per woman
in 1950
All-time low
1.21 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.21 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan peaked at 3.62 live births per woman in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.21 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Japan 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.62 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.23 live births per woman | -10.8% |
| 1952 | 2.95 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 2.67 live births per woman | -9.3% |
| 1954 | 2.47 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1955 | 2.35 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1956 | 2.21 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1957 | 2.04 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1958 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1960 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1962 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.95 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 2.09 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.63 live births per woman | -21.9% |
| 1967 | 2.16 live births per woman | +32.2% |
| 1968 | 2.06 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.09 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.06 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.92 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.84 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.79 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 1.77 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.78 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.55 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.48 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.47 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.38 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.37 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.34 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.35 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.32 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.31 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.28 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.28 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.25 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.28 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.3 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.36 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.38 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.39 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.42 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.39 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.37 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.27 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.26 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.21 live births per woman | -3.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 80% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 57% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +32.2% | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.04 live births per woman | 3.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 2.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.55 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.34 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.32 live births per woman | 1.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.26 live births per woman | 1.21 live births per woman | 1.3 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More poverty & inequality data for Japan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 5 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,245 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.18 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.86 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 2.58 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan?
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Japan was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.62 live births per woman in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty?
- Japan ranks 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.