The number of babies born in 2001 was a record low 1.17 million, down 20,000 from 2000, a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey found.

The birthrate likewise hit an all-time low of 1.33 in 2001, after rising slightly to 1.36 in 2000 from the previous record low 1.34 in 1999, according to the survey released Friday.

The brief uptick in 2000 is thought to have been triggered by the "millennium effect," and the latest survey confirms the declining birthrate is proceeding on a long-term basis, analysts said.