Tokyo, Apr 8 (IANS): Nearly half of unmarried people under 30 in Japan said they do not want children in a recent survey by a pharmaceutical firm, citing reasons including economic concerns and the burden of childbirth and parenting.

Of the 400 respondents between 18 to 29 years old, 49.4 per cent said they are not interested in having children, the highest percentage in any of the last three annual pregnancy white paper surveys conducted by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

By gender, 53.0 per cent of men and 45.6 per cent of women have no interest in becoming parents, according to the online survey.

The government's data showed the number of babies born in Japan in 2022 slipped to a record low of under 800,000 for the first time since records began to be compiled in 1899.

The drop came much earlier than the government expected.

According to a 2017 government forecast, births in Japan would fall below 800,000 for the first time in 2033.