カテゴリー: Population
The UN has officially designated Jakarta the world’s largest city, home to 42 million. We explore a day in the life of the ‘big durian’.In December, the United Nations officially designated Jakarta the world’s largest city, hosting a staggering 42 mill…
Rebound in the country – which has been having demographic crisis – said to be partly because of 3.6 million born between 1991 and 1995 having childrenSouth Korea recorded 254,500 births in 2025, the largest annual increase in 15 years, driven largely …
Fourth year of decline deepens concerns over ageing, shrinking workforce and long-term economic impactChina’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025 as the birthrate plunged to another record low despite the introduction of polices aimed…
The rankings were changed after the UN used new criteria to give a more accurate picture of the rapid urbanisation driving the growth of megacitiesJakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most populous city, according to a UN study that uses new crit…
A weak economy is pushing more New Zealanders across the ‘ditch’ in hope of a better life – and higher wagesWhen Hayden Fisher moved to Sydney from Wellington a year ago, the financial gains were immediate.In New Zealand, Fisher was “putting groceries …
Rise in births to non-Japanese comes as politicians keep dodging the choice between economic decline and a more diverse populationThis week brought encouraging news for Japan’s long battle to defuse its demographic timebomb: in 2024, the number of babi…
More than 20,000 children were born to non-Japanese couples, accounting for more than 3% of all newbornsThe number of babies born to foreign parents reached a record high in Japan in 2024, underlining rapid demographic changes that have propelled migra…
World’s lowest fertility rate leaves Seoul 50,000 troops short of maintaining defence readiness, report warnsSouth Korea’s military has shrunk by 20% in the past six years, largely due to a sharp decrease in the population of men of enlistment age for …
Ballot heaps pressure on Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government just as it attempts to negotiate deal to avert Trump tariffs Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba’s future was unclear on Monday after his coalition lost its upper house majority in electi…
Number of babies born in April rises to 20,717 at a year-on-year rate last seen in 1991, though overall fertility rate remains below replacement levelsSouth Korea’s birthrate surged at its fastest pace in more than three decades in April, offering tent…
New government data shows the number of births reached 686,061 in 2024, a decline of 5.7% from the previous year and the lowest since statistics were first kept in 1899Japan’s struggle to encourage couples to have more children has been given greater u…
Authorities seek to increase number of births amid fear ageing society could threaten economic growth plansVietnam has scrapped a longstanding policy limiting families to two children, as the communist-run country grapples with a declining birthrate.St…
Surge of departures – mostly fleeing a weak economy – fuels concern over the longer-term impact on the country as some small towns scramble for survivalShe considers herself a diehard South Island girl, but Harriet Baker, 33, won’t be raising her child…
Rise comes from very low base and remains far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to stabilise populationSouth Korea’s birthrate rose last year for the first time in nine years, as a surge in marriages raised hopes that the country may be lifting its…