Populations - Japan aging population (aging population / pro-natalist policies)

Question 1

Describe Japan’s Population pyramid

Answer 1

Contractive - indicates a low birth and death rate and high dependency ratio

Question 2

How many births were there in 2024 vs deaths? What was it’s significance?

Answer 2

2024:
* 1.58 million deaths
* 720,000 births

lowest birth count since records began in 1899

Question 3

What is Japan’s current fertility rate?

Answer 3

1.23 - critically low, much lower than the replacement level of 2.1

Question 4

What is Japan’s dependency ratio in 2024?

Answer 4

50.7%

• indicates that there are approximately two working-age individuals for every person aged 65 and over

Question 5

What are the consequences and risks of the aging population for Japan?

Answer 5

• inadequate nursing facilities
• burden on carers
• detoriation of the economy
• high cost of pension
• expensive healthcare

Question 6

What measures are already taking place regarding childcare services?

Answer 6

• increasing the number of day care centers
• more family-friendly workplaces

Question 7

What measures are taking place regarding parental leave schemes?

Answer 7

• increasing the parental leave period to 12 months
• Income compensation period increased

Question 8

What measures are taking place regarding monetary assistance?

Answer 8

• child allowance covers all children, not just 3+
• child allowance increased

Question 9

What issues remain?

Answer 9

• Cultural Factors: Societal expectations and work culture continue to discourage marriage and childbearing, particularly among women .
• Economic Concerns: High living costs and economic insecurity contribute to the reluctance to have children.
• Limited Impact of Policies: Experts note that current policies primarily benefit married couples and may not effectively address the broader societal reluctance toward marriage and parenthood .

Question 10

How much did Japan’s population drop in 2024?

Answer 10

550,000