Part 1    Present State of Youth in Japan

Chapter 1    Youth Population

Section 1    Present State and Trends of the Youth Population

As of October 1, 2004, the total national population was 127,687,000, of which the youth population (aged 0 to 24) was 32,220,000, 25.2% of the national total.
Both the youth population and the ratio to national total have been steadily decreasing since 1955. (Figure 1)

Figure 1    Youth Population and Ratio to National Total

Section 2    Youth Population

(Birth Rate)

Since 1991, there were fluctuations in the number of new born babies until 2001, when the number started to drop every year. In 2003, the number reached 1,123,610. Total fertility rates (sum of the live birth rates by age for women aged 15 to 49; the number of children born to a woman over the course of her lifetime on the assumption that she delivers babies at the live birth rate by age in that year) also have been on a downward trend except for those in their late fifties, reaching 1.29 in 2003. (Figure 2)

Figure 2    Year-by-year Shift of Number of New Born Babies and Total Fertility Rates

(Marriage)

The average age for first marriages in Japan is 29.4 years old for males, and 27.6 for females, and has been on an upward trend for both males and females. The difference in such average age between males and females has been narrowing. (Figure 3)

Figure 3    Average Age for First Marriage