A Milestone: Japan's Population Declines

The Economist magazine reports, "Japan's population is in decline. As of last October 1st, Japan's 127m-odd population was 19,000 fewer than a year earlier. Deaths had outstripped births for the first time in a period of peace since records have been kept. A falling population, the Yomiuri Shimbun duly wailed, meant that national survival was at stake. It may have a point: with no change in the current fertility rate - below 1.3 children per woman of child-bearing age - the last Japanese will die as soon as 2800."

The magazine continues, "The more immediate demographic issue, though, is not so much the predicted fall in Japan's population ... but rather a shift in its composition. For as well as a low birth rate, life expectancy continues to lengthen .... Japan is greying at an unprecedented rate. Half a century ago, the proportion of the population over 65 stood at around 5%, well below that in America, Britain, France or Germany. Today, Japan's proportion of elderly, at 19%, is the highest in the world, and is forecast to reach almost 30% by 2025."