Link: The Fastest Declining City in the World

A country specifically subject to the risk of disappearing cities is Japan. The country’s overall population fell by 800,000 during 2022. On May 24, The Japan Times reported that half of Japan’s cities will witness population declines over the next century. In 2020, 83 Japanese cities had at least 100,000 inhabitants and 21 cities had at least 500,000 inhabitants. By 2120, only 49 cities will be hosting at least 100,000 inhabitants and only 11 will be having at least 500,000 inhabitants, in the case of a medium-fertility scenario. The demographic crisis in Japan has been reported to be serious with a decreasing fertility rate and an increasing older population as major issues. The national fertility rate has been below 2.1 for 50 years. Since the younger population is lower than older adults, women of childbearing age are really less and cannot contribute to a reverse trend in population. The country also has a lower marriage rate due to the high cost of living and stagnant wages which brings the fertility rate low. Nagasaki ranks as the fastest-declining city in the world. The city is positioned on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki serves as the capital of the Nagasaki Prefecture. The city has an important historical significance as it was subject to an atomic bomb during World War II. While the city was an industrial center, developments were formed on surrounding hills to cater to its housing demand. These developments constituted small homes and were inaccessible and hence, they eventually lost their appeal. In the early 1990s, the city faced an industrial decline which enhanced a population shrinkage. Nagasaki's population dropped from 506,000 people in 1975 to 429,000 in 2015. According to the United Nations, the city experienced another population decline of 3.43% between 2020 and 2024. #

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Yoooo, this is a quick note on a link that made me go, WTF? Find all past links here.