News Bulletin February 25, 2026
February 25, 2026
No.376
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Population of new adults - in honor of Coming-of-Age Day -
In Japan, the second Monday of January is Coming-of-Age Day. It celebrates and encourages young people to be aware of becoming adults and to live life on their own terms.
The SBJ estimated the population of new adults (population aged 18 years old as of January 1, 2026, hereafter referred to as the "population of new adults") in honor of Coming-of-Age Day.
- The population of new adults
The population of new adults as of January 1, 2026, was 1.09 million, the same as the previous year.
Broken down by gender, the male population was 0.56 million and the female population was 0.53 million. The male population was 0.03 million more than the female population, and the number of males per 100 females (sex ratio) was 105.6.
- The population trends of new adults and the percentage to the total population
Looking at the trends since the estimates were began in 1968, the population of new adults was 2.46 million (the percentage of new adults to the total population was 2.40%) in 1970, when people who were born in 1949, the first Baby Boom (1947-1949) generation, reached adult age. This was the highest ever population of new adults. The population decreased to 1.52 million in 1978. Thereafter, the population began to increase again from the 1980s, reaching 2.00 million range (peaked at 2.07 million in 1994) when people who were the second Baby Boom generation (1971-1974) became adults. The population began to decrease again in 1995, and it has been on a downward trend ever since.
The population of new adults was 1.09 million in 2026, the same as the previous year. This was the second lowest ever, after the record low in 2024. However, its percentage to the total population was 0.89%, increasing by 0.01 points from the previous year. This is because the total population decreased.
* The age of majority in Japan is stipulated by the Civil Code, and was lowered from 20 years old to 18 years old in 2022. The population of new adults is targeted at people 20 years old until 2022, 18 years old, 19 years old and 20 years old in 2023 (Transitional measures for the enforcement of The Act Partially Amending the Civil Code (Act No. 59 of 2008)), and 18 years old in or after 2024.
MAJOR INDICATORS
See the links below for the latest results.
- 1. Labour Force Survey
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/database?page=1&toukei=00200531&kikan=00200&tstat=000000110001
- 2. Consumer Price Index
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00200573&kikan=00200&tstat=000001150147 - 3. Family Income and Expenditure Survey
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00200561&kikan=00200&tstat=000000330001 - 4. Monthly Business Survey of Services
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00200546&tstat=000001217540 - 5. Population Estimates
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00200524&kikan=00200&tstat=000000090001 - 6. Report on Internal Migration in Japan
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00200523&kikan=00200&tstat=000000070001
is "Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan" (external site) where you can browse statistics tables and database.
