TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Starting April 2026, Japan plans to cover hospital fees for childbirth as part of the effort to boost its falling birth rate.
This decision was made following the recommendation from a panel of experts who assessed the need for the government to cover childbirth costs as part of the national health insurance system. The clear objective is to address the birth rate crisis in the country over the past nine years.
As reported by Independent, up to this point, childbirth costs in Japan are not covered by national insurance, except in cases of procedures like Caesarean section. The average cost of a standard delivery in the first half of 2024 reached 518,000 yen, up 24 percent since 2012.
The government does provide subsidies of up to 500,000 yen (around Rp 52 million) per birth. However, based on the panel's assessment of data from May 2023 to September 2024, the subsidy is insufficient in 45 percent of cases.
In 2024, there were only 720,988 recorded births in Japan, the lowest number in Japan's 125-year history of record-keeping. Yet, around 30 percent of Japan's population is already over 65 years old.
Japan, however, is not the only country facing such demographic crises. The trend of low birth rates is also evident in many other developed countries, especially in Asia and Europe, where modern lifestyle, economic burden, and changes in social values have made the decision to have children increasingly complex and delayed.
Countries with the Lowest Birth Rates in the World
Based on data from Statista, here are 20 countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world in 2024. The figures listed represent the number of children per fertile woman.
- Taiwan - 1.11
- South Korea - 1.12
- Singapore - 1.17
- Ukraine - 1.22
- Hong Kong - 1.24
- Macau - 1.24
- Moldova - 1.26
- Puerto Rico - 1.26
- Italy - 1.26
- Spain - 1.3
- Poland - 1.32
- Montserrat - 1.33
- Mauritius - 1.36
- Bosnia and Herzegovina - 1.38
- British Virgin Islands - 1.38
- Japan - 1.4
- Greece - 1.41
- Costa Rica - 1.43
- Bahamas - 1.44
- Belarus - 1.44
All these countries are significantly below the ideal level at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next, which is 2.1 children per woman.
Impact of Low Birth Rates
Falling birth rates directly affect economic, social, and political stability. Countries with an aging population face major challenges, such as a lack of workforce, declining domestic consumption, and increased social burden due to fewer young generations to support the pension and social security systems.
According to World Population Review, low birth rates in developed countries are often associated with the high cost of living, difficulty in accessing affordable housing, and a shift in social values.
On the other hand, excessively low fertility rates can lead to population contraction and a loss of global competitiveness. For example, Japan and South Korea are now facing a shortage of productive labor and are increasingly relying on technology and the potential for immigration to fill the void.
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