Hiroshima Birthrate Hits Record Low in 2025

The number of babies born in the Chugoku region last year dropped to just 38,376, falling below 40,000 for the first time and marking a 4.5% decline from the previous year.

This is more than twice the national rate of decline. Across the entire nation, the number of babies born to Japanese nationals in 2025 was approximately 671,000, down around 2.2% from the previous year, itself a record low for the 10th consecutive year.

All five prefectures saw drops:
📍 Hiroshima: 15,237 (▼3.3%)
📍 Okayama: 10,426 (▼4.6%)
📍 Yamaguchi: 6,401 (▼5.5%)
📍 Shimane: 3,339 (▼7.8%)
📍 Tottori: 2,973 (▼3.8%)

Hiroshima Prefecture recorded 15,237 births — the largest total in the region, but still a 3.3% drop from the year before. The prefecture’s total fertility rate now stands at 1.27, meaning the average Hiroshima woman is expected to have just over one child in her lifetime. While Hiroshima’s decline is the most modest among the five prefectures, but is is clear that the trend of fewer children are being born here every year is sure to continue.

The total fertility rate also fell across the board, ranging from 1.23 in Okayama to 1.41 in Shimane — all well below the 2.1 needed to maintain population levels.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare says it “takes the situation seriously” and is committed to strengthening support for families raising children.