Yutori generation
Japanese people who went to school under the 1998–99 national curriculum, in force from fiscal 2002 (elementary and junior high) and 2003 (high school). Usually people born around 1987–2003.
| Birth years used on this page | 1987–2003 |
| Age in 2026 (after birthday) | 23–39 |
| Births in those years | 20,592,669 |
| Peak year | 1987 (1,346,658) |
Who are they?
Yutori means "room to breathe". The name refers to students taught under the 1998–99 revision of Japan's national curriculum guidelines. According to the Ministry of Education, it took effect in fiscal 2002 for elementary and junior high schools and 2003 for high schools. With the switch to a full five-day school week, it aimed to offer "distinctive education with room to breathe", cut 70 class periods a year (two a week) and created a new period for cross-subject "integrated study". The next revision, which added class time back, took effect in 2011 (elementary), 2012 (junior high) and 2013 (high school).
The government never defined a birth-year range. Counting anyone who spent at least one year of elementary or junior high school under that curriculum gives people born roughly between April 1987 and March 2004 (from ninth graders in 2002 to first graders in 2010). This page uses births from 1987 to 2003.
The word is sometimes used to tease. Here it is only a label for a school curriculum. A difference in curriculum says nothing about any individual's ability or character.
Definition sources (in Japanese): 文部科学省「学習指導要領の変遷」(中央教育審議会 資料) / 文部科学省「新しい学習指導要領の主なポイント(平成14年度から実施)」
What they lived through, and at what age
Ages are for people born 1987–2003 (the age they turned that year; those not yet born are left out).
| Year | Event | Age |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Japanese National Railways is privatized | 0 |
| 1989 | Showa ends, Heisei begins | 0–2 |
| 1990 | The national university entrance test begins | 0–3 |
| 1990 | Stock prices crash; property lending curbed | 0–3 |
| 1991 | The Gulf War and the fall of the Soviet Union | 0–4 |
| 1993 | The employment ice age begins | 0–6 |
| 1995 | The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake | 0–8 |
| 1997 | Consumption tax rises to 5%; major financial firms fail | 0–10 |
| 2001 | The September 11 attacks | 0–14 |
| 2002 | Japan and Korea host the World Cup | 0–15 |
| 2004 | The Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata | 1–17 |
| 2008 | Smartphones arrive | 5–21 |
| 2008 | The 2008 global financial crisis | 5–21 |
| 2009 | Lay judges introduced; change of government | 6–22 |
| 2011 | Switch to digital TV | 8–24 |
| 2011 | The Great East Japan Earthquake | 8–24 |
| 2014 | Consumption tax rises to 8% | 11–27 |
| 2016 | The Kumamoto earthquakes | 13–29 |
| 2016 | Voting age lowered to 18 | 13–29 |
| 2019 | Heisei ends, Reiwa begins | 16–32 |
| 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic | 17–33 |
| 2021 | The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics | 18–34 |
| 2022 | Age of adulthood lowered to 18; war in Ukraine | 19–35 |
| 2023 | COVID-19 downgraded to a common infectious disease | 20–36 |
| 2024 | The Noto Peninsula earthquake; new banknotes | 21–37 |
| 2025 | Expo 2025 in Osaka | 22–38 |
Public statistics
| Born | Births | University entry rate when they turned 18* | Jobs-to-applicants ratio at 17–18** | at 21–22** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1,346,658 | 45.2% | 0.95 | 0.47 |
| 1988 | 1,314,006 | 46.9% | 1.06 | 0.52 |
| 1989 | 1,246,802 | 48.8% | 1.04 | 0.65 |
| 1990 | 1,221,585 | 49.9% | 0.88 | 0.80 |
| 1991 | 1,223,245 | 50.6% | 0.47 | 0.93 |
| 1992 | 1,208,989 | 50.7% | 0.52 | 1.09 |
| 1993 | 1,188,282 | 50.5% | 0.65 | 1.20 |
| 1994 | 1,238,328 | 49.5% | 0.80 | 1.36 |
| 1995 | 1,187,064 | 51.1% | 0.93 | 1.50 |
| 1996 | 1,206,555 | 51.1% | 1.09 | 1.61 |
| 1997 | 1,191,665 | 51.5% | 1.20 | 1.60 |
| 1998 | 1,203,147 | 52.1% | 1.36 | 1.18 |
| 1999 | 1,177,669 | 52.9% | 1.50 | 1.13 |
| 2000 | 1,190,547 | 53.3% | 1.61 | 1.28 |
| 2001 | 1,170,662 | 53.9% | 1.60 | 1.31 |
| 2002 | 1,153,855 | 54.4% | 1.18 | 1.25 |
| 2003 | 1,123,610 | 56.1% | 1.13 | 1.22 |
20,592,669 babies were born in Japan in 1987–2003, peaking at 1,346,658 in 1987. When they turned 18, the university entry rate was 45.2–56.1% (51.8–59% for men, 38.4–53.1% for women). In the year they were in their last year of university, the jobs-to-applicants ratio ranged from 0.47 to 1.61 (1.0 means one opening per job seeker).
Game simulation: 1,500 lives
We ran 1,500 lives in the Born in Japan simulator for people born 1987–2003, choosing birth years in proportion to actual births and leaving every decision on default. These are game estimates, not statistics.
| Item | Simulation |
|---|---|
| Average age at death | 83.9 years |
| Graduate from university or grad school | 51.3% |
| Ever married by 50 (of those alive at 50) | 71.7% |
| Regular (full-time) employee at 30 | 80.4% |
| Living in an owned home at 60 | 45.6% |
| Average number of children | 1.27 |
| Lifetime gross earnings, men (median) | ¥218 million |
| Lifetime gross earnings, women (median) | ¥144 million |
| Net worth at 65 incl. home (median) | ¥28 million |
In the game, "Yutori/satori generation" covers 1983–1995 births and "Gen Z" 1996–2010.
Real dataStatistics on this page
- Births and total fertility rate: MHLW Vital Statistics (Japanese nationals in Japan; Okinawa excluded until 1972)
- University entry rate: MEXT School Basic Survey (university entrants, including those who entered after a gap year, divided by junior high graduates three years earlier)
- Jobs-to-applicants ratio: MHLW, annual average for all job seekers at public employment offices, not only new graduates
- Definitions: the public documents cited on each page
AssumptionGame simulation
- The "game simulation" table comes from running lives in the Born in Japan simulator with default choices
- Wages and life expectancy are based on public statistics, but marriage, job changes and investing include assumptions without a source. Years after 2026 are the game's assumptions
- Money is in today's yen, adjusted for inflation; expect a margin of a few points
The game starts you in its 1983–1995 generation group; your birth year, prefecture and family are chosen at random within it.
FAQ
What is the Yutori generation?
Japanese people who went to school under the 1998–99 national curriculum, in force from fiscal 2002 (elementary and junior high) and 2003 (high school). Usually people born around 1987–2003.
What years were they born?
This page uses 1987–2003. The range follows the cited Japanese government definition.
How old are they in 2026?
23–39 years old (after their birthday in 2026).
How many people were born in those years?
20,592,669 births in 1987–2003, according to Japan's Vital Statistics.
Other generations
- Dankai generation (Japan's baby boomers)Born 1947–1949
- Shirake generationBorn 1950–1955
- Shinjinrui (the "new breed")Born 1961–1965
- Bubble generationBorn 1965–1970
- Dankai junior (second baby boom)Born 1971–1974
- Employment ice age generationBorn 1971–1982
- Satori generationBorn 1987–1995
- Gen Z in JapanBorn 1996–2010