The Okinawa Prefecture Department of Public Health and Medical Care released on Oct. 9th a report on the population statistics of Okinawa in 2013.

According to the report, the number of live births increased by 135 from the previous year to 17,209.  The birth rate per 1,000 people in Okinawa is 12.2 points that surpasses the national average by four points, and has been the highest in Japan for the past 40 years.  The fertility rate increased 0.04 points to 1.94, which also is the highest in Japan and has been for the past 29 years.  It’s 0.51 higher than the national average 1.43.

The number of deaths increased by 330 to 10,956. The Okinawa’s mortality rate per 1,000 people has been the lowest in Japan for the past 12 years.  The natural growth of population in 2013 was 6,253 people, boosting the rate of natural increase per 1,000 people to 4.4 points, which also is the record in Japan.  There are only three prefectures in addition to Okinawa where the birth rate increased. They are Aichi with 0.6 points, Shiga by 0.6 points and Kanagawa by 0.2 points.  However, the number of natural growth of Okinawa’s population has declined from 14.2 points in 1979 to 4.4 in 2013, marking the lowest increase on record.

The leading cause of death in the prefecture is cancer with 3,001 people succumbing to various forms of cancers, followed by cardiac diseases that claimed 1,518 people, pneumonia with 997 deaths, and 855 people dying of vascular brain diseases.

The number of couples tying the knot was 8,803, which is the second highest in Japan, while the number of those who divorced was 3,651 couples. That number has been the worst in the nation for 11 years.

• 
• NO DATA