In Japan, the population sex ratio has seen slight changes over the past decades. In 2021, the number of men was around **** for every 100 women, constituting a decrease from **** in 1950.

What is the sex ratio? The population sex ratio is determined by the sex ratio at birth, different mortality rates between men and women, as well as losses and gains through migration. In the absence of alteration, the sex ratio in human populations is quite constant, with only minor deviations. While the sex ratio at birth is usually *** to ***, the population sex ratio, which refers to the total number of males for every 100 females, is often below 100. The reason for the shift mostly lies in differing lifestyles and physical constitutions of men and women. In general, women tend to be more resistant to disease throughout life, while men tend to engage in higher risk behavior or violence.

Influences and consequences
The sex ratio at birth and its possible determinants such as gestation environment, climate change, chemical pollution or socio-economic factors have long been subject to scientific research. Recently the impact of natural disasters, like the nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, was presumed to influence the sex ratio at birth. The adult gender ratio has long been recognized as a key population-level determinant of behavior. However, there are many different or competing theories in existing literature about the social impacts of gender imbalance on topics such as violence, family stability, reproduction etc.

In 2023, the male population was estimated to reach approximately ***** million, while the female population was estimated at around ***** million. These figures were forecasted to shrink to about **** million men and ***** million women by 2120.

In 2023, the total population in Japan slightly decreased to just below *** million people compared to the previous year, with the female population reaching around **** million, as compared to **** million men. The oldest population in the world  Japanese society is facing severe demographic problems such as decreasing birthrates, remaining under *** million births annually recently, and a thereby aging population. The country’s average age lies at around ** years, making its population the oldest in the world. Elderly people aged 65 years and older accounted for about ** percent of the population in 2023. According to a forecast, this age group would make up approximately ** percent of the Japanese population by 2070. Challenges with the demographic shift The rapid aging of the society poses significant economic and sociopolitical challenges to the country, as the workforce will continue to shrink while increasingly more elderly will receive long-term support. Currently, close to ***** million Japanese require long-term care, leading to national benefit expenses of over ** trillion yen annually, including in-home and community-based services.

Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 57.810 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 58.249 % for 2016. Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 67.272 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 69.262 % in 1969 and a record low of 57.810 % in 2017. Japan JP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 1.0042 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male secondary enrollment - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

In 2024, around **** percent of Japanese overseas travelers were women, while about **** percent were men. This was the first time in the past decade that the number of women traveling abroad was higher than that of men.

Population, female (% of total population) in Japan was reported at 51.22 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 1.0034 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

The representation of women in Japanese higher education continues to grow, with female students comprising 44.7 percent of university enrollments in 2024. This marks a steady increase over the past decade, reflecting changing societal attitudes and educational opportunities for women in Japan. Study field preferences Female students enrolled at universities in Japan exhibit a strong interest in the social sciences, with the highest number of female undergraduates majoring in the subject in 2024. At the postgraduate level, the engineering field had the highest number of female students in the same year. When it comes to gender distribution, humanities, education, medicine, and art, among others, attracted a higher share of women than men in postgraduate studies. Employment prospects The rising female university enrollment is translating into positive career outcomes. In 2024, over 80 percent of female university graduates in Japan entered employment after completing their studies. It is worth noting that this proportion was much lower among women with postgraduate degrees, with below 70 percent of those with master’s and doctoral diplomas securing employment after graduation.

Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 0.941 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.931 Ratio for 2014. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 0.682 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 42 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.941 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 0.408 Ratio in 1971. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is the ratio of women to men enrolled at tertiary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

The statistic depicts the results of a survey about the gender distribution of people playing games in Japan as of ************, broken down by type. In the survey period, the largest difference between the participation rate of men and women in Japan regarded the board game Go, with a participation rate of about ** percent for men and only around ****** percent for women.

Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 1.003 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.004 Ratio for 2014. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.004 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.006 Ratio in 1996 and a record low of 0.998 Ratio in 1979. Japan JP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2024, the overall gender gap index score in Japan reached 0.66 points, a slight increase compared to recent years. Japan ranked 118th out of 146 countries covered by the global gender gap index, placing the country far behind other G7 nations. Reasons behind Japan’s low ranking  Japan’s gender gap score in education and health indicated a closed or almost closed gender gap. However, in terms of political empowerment, Japan ranked well below the average global score, placing it among the lowest ranks within East Asia and the Pacific region. A high disparity between men and women in economic participation was another crucial reason for Japan’s poor ranking compared to other industrial nations. The low scores were mainly due to the nation’s small number of female parliamentarians, as well as a low ratio of women in managerial positions. Women in Japan Modern Japanese women enjoy more freedom, have better access to education, and have broader job opportunities compared to previous generations. Yet, traditional gender roles and male favoritism are still pervasive in Japanese culture. Japan's ongoing discussion on gender equality measures, or the lack thereof, is often highlighted in local and international media. The Japanese government currently aims to achieve a significant increase in female proportion in the political, judicial, and economic fields by the end of 2025, targeting 30 percent or more of the female share in a broad range of positions. This might fast-track the long-overdue generational change, which seems necessary to incite diversity in the country.

Online marketplaces are one of the most popular services for mail-order shopping in Japan. According to a survey conducted in November 2024, the majority of respondents used large-scale online marketplaces. **** percent of male and ** percent of female respondents in their fifties stated that they had used these platforms, representing the age group with the largest user base.

Around **** percent of Japanese consumers were subscribed to food-based subscription services, with young men in their twenties representing the largest subscriber group. According to a survey conducted in ************* in Japan, ** percent of male respondents aged 20 to 29 years stated to either currently use or have used subscription services for food and beverages. Major services providing food-based subscriptions include meal kit deliveries. Others include regular deliveries of snack boxes and coffee.

School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in Japan was reported at 0.98069 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Ratio of female to male tertiary enrollment - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

According to a survey conducted in October 2021 in Japan, the share of men aged between 20 and 24 years participating in hobbies amounted to **** percent, while the share of women of the same age group amounted to **** percent. The vast majority of people in Japan participated in some kind of hobby. Participation figures tended to decline with growing age but were still high for people aged 70 years and above.

According to a survey conducted in October 2021 in Japan, the share of people participating in cooking and making cakes or cookies as a hobby amounted to **** percent among men and **** percent among women.

LINE was used by **** percent of women in Japan in fiscal year 2024. The penetration rate was somewhat lower among men. The instant messaging app is operated by LY Corporation. A breakdown by age group shows that LINE, unlike many other social media, is also well-received among older age cohorts.

This bar chart displays companies by CEO gender using the aggregation count in Japan. The data is about companies.