Japan's child population falls for 42nd straight year to new low

Tokyo, May 5 (IANS) Japan's estimated child population fell to a new record low of 14.35 million, down for the 42nd consecutive year, latest government data showed.

The number of children aged 14 or younger, including foreigners, came to 14.35 million as of April 1, down by around 300,000 from a year earlier, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Interior Ministry data.

The ratio of children to Japan's total population stood at 11.5 per cent, down by 0.2 percentage point, also the lowest figure since the start of comparable data in 1950, according to the Ministry.

By gender, boys accounted for 7.35 million of the total child population, while girls make up the other 7 million, the data showed.

The government data also revealed that after peaking in 1954 at 29.89 million and experiencing a second baby boom in the early 1970s, Japan's child population has continued to fall since 1982.

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