The number of adult diapers sold in Japan has been higher than those for children for over 10 years – reminds the BBC.
In 2023, 758.6 thousand children were born in the country. children, by 5.1 percent less than a year earlier. This is the worst result since the 19th century. In the 1970s, more than two million babies were born every year in Japan.
Oji Holding recently announced that its subsidiary Oji Nepia, which currently produces approximately 400 million baby diapers in Japan, will switch entirely to producing adult diapers.
Production of baby diapers at Oji Nepia has been declining since 2001, when the company produced 700 million of them. Meanwhile, the adult diapers market is systematically growing and its estimated value is over USD 2 billion.
Japan is one of the oldest societies in the world. Almost 30 percent inhabitants are 65 years of age or older, and last year the percentage of people over 80 years of age exceeded 10 percent for the first time.
The authorities of Japan, one of the world's largest economies, announced unprecedented measures to reverse the trend of falling birth rates. However, so far the actions taken have not brought satisfactory results.
Japan is not the only country in the region that is facing a demographic crisis. Also in South Korea. More adult diapers are sold than baby diapers, and China has seen population declines over the past two years.
Oji Holdings announced it will continue to produce baby diapers in Malaysia and Indonesia, where it expects demand to increase, the BBC reported.
