The statistic shows the total population in Japan from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of Japan amounted to around 123.89 million inhabitants. See the figures for the population of South Korea for comparison. Total population in Japan From steadily low fertility rates to a growing elderly population, it is no secret that Japan’s population is shrinking. Population growth rates jump around a little, but are currently following a declining trend. The post-war baby boom generation is now in the 65-and-over age group, and the percentage of the population in that category is expected to keep growing, as is indicated by a high median age and high life expectancy. Japan already has the highest percentage of its population over 65 in the world, and the aging population puts some pressure on the Japanese government to provide welfare services for more people as rising numbers leave the workforce. However, the amount of jobs opened up for the younger generations by the older generations leaving the workforce means that unemployment is kept to a minimum. Despite a jump in unemployment after the global recession hit in 2008, rates were almost back to pre-recession rates by 2013. Another factor affecting Japan is the number of emigrants to other countries. The United States absorbs a number of emigrants worldwide, so despite a stagnating birth rate, the U.S. has seen a steady rise in population.

Historical chart and dataset showing Japan population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Japan (SPPOPGROWJPN) from 1961 to 2024 about Japan, population, and rate.

Historical chart and dataset showing total population for Japan by year from 1950 to 2025.

As of 2024, the total population in Japan was estimated to be approximately ********************. The projection for 2100 indicated an almost ** percent decrease in population to around **** million people.

In 2023, there were around *** live births per 1,000 inhabitants in Japan, down from about *** in the previous year. The total number of live births in the nation amounted to approximately ******* in 2023. Japan’s super aging society Directly after the end of WWII, the live birth rate in Japan was over ** per 1,000 of population. The rate has constantly dropped in the last decades after the second baby boom (between 1971 and 1974). Meanwhile, the life expectancy of the Japanese people has increased, reaching about **** years for women and **** years for men in 2022. Due to the combination of both factors, Japan has developed into one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Almost ** percent of Japan’s population is currently aged 65 years and older, falling into the “super-aged nation” defined by international institutions and organizations.  Decreasing number of marriages In Japan, the number of births outside of marriage is small. The Japanese government, therefore, considers the decreasing number of marriages as the driving factor behind the country’s fertility decline. As of 2023, the number of marriages per 1,000 Japanese citizens was ***, less than half compared to that in the early *****. The average age of first marriage has also risen for both men and women. This trend can be partially attributed to the increasing number of employed and therefore financially and socially independent women in the past two decades. The employment rate of women in Japan exceeded ** percent for the first time in history in ****.

In 1800, the population of Japan was just over 30 million, a figure which would grow by just two million in the first half of the 19th century. However, with the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of the emperor in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan would begin transforming from an isolated feudal island, to a modernized empire built on Western models. The Meiji period would see a rapid rise in the population of Japan, as industrialization and advancements in healthcare lead to a significant reduction in child mortality rates, while the creation overseas colonies would lead to a strong economic boom. However, this growth would slow beginning in 1937, as Japan entered a prolonged war with the Republic of China, which later grew into a major theater of the Second World War. The war was eventually brought to Japan's home front, with the escalation of Allied air raids on Japanese urban centers from 1944 onwards (Tokyo was the most-bombed city of the Second World War). By the war's end in 1945 and the subsequent occupation of the island by the Allied military, Japan had suffered over two and a half million military fatalities, and over one million civilian deaths.

The population figures of Japan were quick to recover, as the post-war “economic miracle” would see an unprecedented expansion of the Japanese economy, and would lead to the country becoming one of the first fully industrialized nations in East Asia. As living standards rose, the population of Japan would increase from 77 million in 1945, to over 127 million by the end of the century. However, growth would begin to slow in the late 1980s, as birth rates and migration rates fell, and Japan eventually grew to have one of the oldest populations in the world. The population would peak in 2008 at just over 128 million, but has consistently fallen each year since then, as the fertility rate of the country remains below replacement level (despite government initiatives to counter this) and the country's immigrant population remains relatively stable. The population of Japan is expected to continue its decline in the coming years, and in 2020, it is estimated that approximately 126 million people inhabit the island country.

The total population in Japan was estimated at 123.6 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Japan Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Japan (POPTOTJPA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Japan and population.

Approximately 36.5 million people in Japan were estimated to be within the age group 65 and over in 2024. This number was projected to increase until 2040 and then decline to about 20.1 million by 2120.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 15 to 64 Years for Japan (LFWA64TTJPM647S) from Jan 1970 to Apr 2025 about working-age, 15 to 64 years, Japan, and population.

Japan JP: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 8.465 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.543 % for 2016. Japan JP: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 22.849 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.728 % in 1960 and a record low of 8.465 % in 2017. Japan JP: Rural Population: % of Total Population 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

The annual population growth in Japan decreased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous year. The population growth thereby reached its lowest value in recent years. Population growth refers to the annual change in population, and is based on the balance between birth and death rates, as well as migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like South Korea and Hong Kong.

Japan JP: Population: Growth data was reported at -0.164 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -0.115 % for 2016. Japan JP: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 0.396 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.606 % in 1961 and a record low of -0.185 % in 2011. Japan JP: Population: Growth 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. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

In 2023, around **** percent of the total population in Japan was aged 65 years and older. Due to a low birth rate and high longevity, people aged 65 years and over were estimated to make up approximately **** percent of the population in Japan by 2070. The share of children below 15 years old was expected to decrease to around *** percent by that year.

Text A, Representation theorem for a right eigenvector of an irreducible non-negative matrix. Text B, Theorem for infinite series expansion of characteristic equation. Text C, Original definition of type-reproduction number. Text D, Extension theorem of type-reproduction number. (ZIP)

Japan urban population for 2023 was 114,608,860, a 0.39% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan urban population for 2022 was <strong>115,058,684</strong>, a <strong>0.35% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Japan urban population for 2021 was <strong>115,459,909</strong>, a <strong>0.37% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Japan urban population for 2020 was <strong>115,884,871</strong>, a <strong>0.2% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

BackgroundKawasaki disease (KD) is a common cause of acquired paediatric heart disease in developed countries. KD was first identified in the 1960s in Japan, and has been steadily increasing since it was first reported. The aetiology of KD has not been defined, but is assumed to be infection-related. The present study sought to identify the factor(s) that mediate the geographical variation and chronological increase of KD in Japan.Methods and FindingsBased upon data reported between 1979 and 2010 from all 47 prefectures in Japan, the incidence and mean patient age at the onset of KD were estimated. Using spatial and time-series analyses, incidence and mean age were regressed against climatic/socioeconomic variables. Both incidence and mean age of KD were inversely correlated with the total fertility rate (TFR; i.e., the number of children that would be born to one woman). The extrapolation of a time-series regressive model suggested that KD emerged in the 1960s because of a dramatic decrease in TFR in the 1940s through the 1950s.ConclusionsMean patient age is an inverse surrogate for the hazard of contracting the aetiologic agent. Therefore, the observed negative correlation between mean patient age and TFR suggests that a higher TFR is associated with KD transmission. This relationship may be because a higher TFR facilitates sibling-to-sibling transmission. Additionally, the observed inverse correlation between incidence and TFR implies a paradoxical “negative” correlation between the incidence and the hazard of contracting the aetiologic agent. It was hypothesized that a decreasing TFR resulted in a reduced hazard of contracting the agent for KD, thereby increasing KD incidence.

The median age of the population in Japan has steadily been increasing since 1950 and is projected to be around 47.7 years old in 2020. As of 2021, the median age of Japan is the second highest in the world, behind the Principality of Monaco. The elderly in Japan An improved quality of life and regular health checks are just two reasons why Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The life expectancy from birth in Japan improved significantly after World War II, rising 20 years in the decade between 1945 and 1955. As life expectancy continues to increase, Japan expects difficulties caring for the older generation in the future. Shortages in the service sector are already a major concern, with demand for nurses and care workers increasing. Fertility and birth rates The fertility rate among Japan’s population has been around 1.4 children per woman since 2010. Apart from a small baby boom in the early seventies, the crude birth rate of Japan has been declining since 1950 and is expected to be as low as 7.5 births per thousand people in 2020. With falling birth rates and such a large share of its inhabitants reaching their later years, Japan’s total population is expected to continue declining.

Shrinking cities due to low birthrates and aging populations represent a significant urban planning issue. The research question of this study is: which economic, social, and educational factors affect population decline in Japanese shrinking cities? By modeling shrinking cities using the case of Japanese cities, this study aims to clarify the indicators that affect the population change rate. The study employed Bayesian network analysis, a machine learning technique, using a dataset of economic, social, and educational indicators. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that social and educational indicators affect the population decline rate. Surprisingly, the impact of educational indicators is more substantial than that of economic indicators such as the financial strength index. Considering the limitations in fiscal expenditures, increasing investment in education might help solve the problem of shrinking cities because of low birthrates and aging populations. The results provide essential insights and can function as a planning support system.