Tokyo, Aug 30 (IANS): The number of babies born in Japan in the first half of 2024 shrank to a record low, totaling 350,074, government data showed Friday.

Total births nationwide, including to foreign nationals, fell by 20,978, or 5.7 per cent, from the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary data by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The pace of decrease accelerated from 3.6 per cent in the same period last year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths, up 1.8 per cent, outnumbered births by 461,745 in the reporting period, the data showed.

Local analysts attributed the low birth rate to the declining number of marriages amid shifting values.

From January to June, the number of marriages edged up 0.9 per cent to 248,513 but was down more than 80,000 from the 2014 figure.

If the declining trend continues, the number of births for the full year excluding foreigners could hit a record low by falling below 700,000 for the first time, according to national news agency Kyodo.