Japan's adult nappies outsell baby nappies, signaling a rapid demographic aging

Japan’s aging crisis is starkly illustrated by supermarket shelves where adult nappies eclipsed baby nappies around 2011; in 2024 births fell to 686,061 (fertility 1.15) while deaths hit 1,605,298, yielding a natural decrease of 919,237. With about 123.4 million people and roughly 30% aged 65+, the country faces a shrinking, aging population, projected to drop to around 87 million by 2070. The decline is driven by late marriages, high housing costs, precarious work, and heavy unpaid caregiving, and is already prompting changes like a major paper maker exiting infant-nappy production while adult-nappy demand grows. The trend mirrors aging trajectories seen in other developed nations.