While foreign residents increased to a record high of nearly 3 million, the number of Japanese people has been declining at the fastest rate ever.

According to data from the Japanese government, the entire population of Japan is getting older, and it appears that foreigners are becoming an increasingly important part of the country's population growth.

As per resident registration data as of Jan. 1, 2023, published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of Japanese citizens decreased for a 14th year, by almost 800,000 people, to 122.42 million.

According to the data, all 47 prefectures experienced a decline in the population of Japanese residents.

The number of foreigners residing in Japan reached a record 2.99 million, an increase of 10.7% from the year before and the largest year-over-year growth since the ministry started keeping track of the information a decade ago.

As of January 1, 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, 2.87 million foreigners were residing in Japan.

The new data showed that Japan's total population fell to 125.42 million, a decrease of about 511,000.

Due to a low birth rate, the population has declined every year since it peaked in 2008, reaching a record low in 2017.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has prioritized stopping the birth rate from declining, and despite having a large amount of debt, his administration intends to set aside 3.5 trillion yen ($25 billion) annually for child care and other parental support programs.