TOKYO, May 28 -- Statistics Bureau issued the following news:

May 28, 2026

No.379

In Japan, May 5 is a national holiday called Children's Day. Children's Day is designated as a day to respect children's personalities, to promote their happiness, and for appreciating their mothers.

The SBJ estimated the number of children (population under 15 years old, hereafter referred to as "number of children") as of April 1, 2026, in honor of Children's Day.

- The number of children was 13.29 million, a decrease for the forty-fifth year in a row

As of April 1, 2026, the number of children was 13.29 million, a decrease of 0.35 million from the previous year. This was the lowest ever, decreasing for the forty-fifth year in a row since 1982. Broken down by gender, the number of boys was 6.81 million and the number of girls was 6.48 million. The number of boys was 0.33 million more than girls, and the number of boys per 100 girls (gender ratio) was 105.0.

- The percentage of children was 10.8%, a decrease for the fifty-second year in a row

The percentage of children of the total population (hereafter referred to as "the percentage of children") was 35.4% in 1950, which represented more than one third of the total population. However, reflecting a decrease in the number of births following the first baby boom period (1947-1949), this percentage had dropped to 23.9% by 1970.

Due to an increase in the number of births during the second baby boom period (1971-1974), this percentage slightly increased to 24.4% in 1974. Thereafter, the percentage began to decrease again from 1975 and has fallen to 10.8% (a decrease of 0.3 points from the previous year), the lowest ever percentage, in 2026.

The percentage of children decreased for the fifty-second year in a row since 1975.

From April 22 to 24, fifteen participants from African countries of the "Mr. KANEMARU Saburo Memorial International Exchange Program" by the Statistical Information Institute for Consulting and Analysis (SINFONICA) visited the SBJ as part of the training program. They received lectures on the "Statistical System of Japan," "Population Census," "Portal Site of Official Statistics (e-Stat)" and several other topics.

Website: https://www.stat.go.jp/english/info/meetings/receiving/sinfonica2604.html



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