TOKYO – The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low last year, the health ministry said on Friday, as more couples put off marriage and starting a family amid a global pandemic.
The number of births fell to 840,832 in 2020, down 2.8 percent from a year earlier and the lowest since records began in 1899.
The pandemic has hit birth rates around the world, despite early speculation that lockdowns may lead to a global baby boom.
The number of registered marriages in Japan fell 12.3 percent last year to 525,490. The fertility rate declined to 1.34, among the lowest in the world.(Reuters)
