Local News

Birth Rates Up, But Population Down in Kyushu Region

Despite having some of the highest birth rates in the nation, the nine prefectures of the Kyushu-Okinawa-Yamaguchi region are losing population as young people move away according to reports issued by the Governor’s Association of the Kyushu Region and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The national average birth rate for 2013 was 1.43, and six of the nine regional prefectures exceeded this figure. (Okinawa took the top spot with a rate of 1.94.) Meanwhile, Fukuoka was the only prefecture to record more 15~19-years olds moving in than moving away. Although the prefecture tends to serve as a regional hub for high school students, young people aged 20~24 are moving away at rates higher than the national average.The same is true for the other eight prefectures, and creating jobs in the region remains a major issue. “Ideally, young people who come to Fukuoka from around Kyushu to study will return home to work or get married, but many things, such as healthcare and childrearing support, need to be considered,” said Kazuyoshi Nonaka, a Kyushu University professor of regional welfare. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 6/1

Category
General
Published: Jun 13, 2014 / Last Updated: Apr 1, 2016

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

ページトップに戻る