人口減少

• 読み: じんこうげんしょう
• ローマ字: jinkō genshō
• 漢字の分解: 人 (jin/hito) — person; 口 (kō/kuchi) — mouth; 減 (gen/he) — to decrease; 少 (shō/suku) — few, little
• 発音: /dʑiɴ.koː.ɡeɴ.ɕoː/

意味

Population decline; depopulation. The reduction in the total number of inhabitants of a region over time.

One of the most pressing social challenges facing Japan, 人口減少 is driven by a falling birth rate and ageing population. It results in labour shortages, regional hollowing-out (地方消滅), and strain on social security systems. Policy responses include immigration reform, childbirth incentives, and automation.

例文

1. 人口減少が続けば、地方の自治体は存続できなくなる。
2. 少子化対策は人口減少を食い止めるための柱の一つだ。
3. 人口減少社会においては、生産性の向上が不可欠となる。

使い方ガイド

場面: demographics, policy, economics, regional planning

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 人口 (population) and 減少 (decrease, reduction). 人口 literally means 'the number of people entering mouths' (a classical Chinese census concept). The compound gained urgency in Japan following demographic data from the 2000s.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal