Land area (sq. km) in Japan was reported at 364569 sq. Km in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Land area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Japan JP: Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 347.778 Person/sq km in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 348.350 Person/sq km for 2016. Japan JP: Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 337.674 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 351.339 Person/sq km in 2008 and a record low of 258.912 Person/sq km in 1961. Japan JP: Population Density: People per Square Km 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. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.; Weighted average;

Surface area (sq. km) in Japan was reported at 377969 sq. Km in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Surface area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Japan was reported at 342 sq. Km in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Japan JP: Urban Land Area data was reported at 108,678.242 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 108,678.242 sq km for 2000. Japan JP: Urban Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 108,678.242 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 108,678.242 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 108,678.242 sq km in 2010. Japan JP: Urban Land Area 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Urban land area in square kilometers, based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

In 2025, the surface area of the Japanese archipelago totaled around 377,976 square kilometers, with Honshu accounting for over half of the surface size. The largest share of the population and businesses in Japan are concentrated in Honshu, particularly around the Greater Tokyo Area.

Time series data for the statistic Urban land area (sq. km) and country Japan. Indicator Definition:Urban land area in square kilometers, based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.

Japan JP: Rural Land Area data was reported at 260,649.594 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 260,649.594 sq km for 2000. Japan JP: Rural Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 260,649.594 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 260,649.594 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 260,649.594 sq km in 2010. Japan JP: Rural Land Area 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural land area in square kilometers, derived from urban extent grids which distinguish urban and rural areas based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

Japan JP: Land Area data was reported at 364,560.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 364,560.000 sq km for 2016. Japan JP: Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 364,600.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 366,700.000 sq km in 1971 and a record low of 364,500.000 sq km in 2009. Japan JP: Land Area 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

Forest area (sq. km) in Japan was reported at 249350 sq. Km in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Forest area (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Japan JP: Surface Area data was reported at 377,962.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 377,962.000 sq km for 2016. Japan JP: Surface Area data is updated yearly, averaging 377,800.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 377,962.000 sq km in 2017 and a record low of 377,800.000 sq km in 2000. Japan JP: Surface Area 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

Population density of Japan slipped by 0.44% from 344.8 people per sq. km in 2021 to 343.3 people per sq. km in 2022. Since the 0.16% downward trend in 2012, population density declined by 1.96% in 2022. Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers.

Hamamatsu was the largest major city in Japan based on city area in 2024, with a size of close to **** thousand square kilometers. It was followed by Shizuoka, with a size of more than **** square kilometers. Overconcentration in Tokyo Economic, political, and financial activity in Japan is heavily concentrated in Tokyo. With around **** million inhabitants, the metropolitan area of Tokyo is the largest urban conglomeration in the world. Most of Japan’s largest companies have their headquarters in Tokyo, and the region attracts many young people who move there to study or work. A breakdown of the net migration flow in Japan showed that the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, all part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, attract the largest number of people. In contrast, the majority of prefectures, especially those located in rural parts of the country, lose a substantial part of their population every year. Demographic trend in rural regions The overconcentration of economic activity in Tokyo has an impact on the demographic situation in rural parts of the country. Japan’s population is shrinking and aging, and rural regions are particularly affected by this. Many young people leave their rural hometowns to seek better opportunities in urban parts of Japan, leaving behind an aging population. As a result, many rural communities in Japan struggle with depopulation and a notable share of municipalities are even threatened with disappearance in the coming decades.

Japan JP: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters data was reported at 3,464.054 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3,464.054 sq km for 2000. Japan JP: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters data is updated yearly, averaging 3,464.054 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,464.054 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 3,464.054 sq km in 2010. Japan JP: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural land area below 5m is the total rural land area in square kilometers where the elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

Agricultural land (sq. km) in Japan was reported at 46070 sq. Km in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Agricultural land (sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

As of March 31, 2023, the area of roads in Japan amounted to approximately 7.82 thousand square kilometers, increasing compared to the previous year. This road area was calculated based on the accumulated width of road sections, including the roadway, sidewalks and similar, as well as the median strip and shoulders.

The population density in Japan stood at 343.28 people in 2022. Between 1961 and 2022, the population density rose by 86.79 people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Agricultural land area of Japan fell by 0.49% from 46,820 sq. km in 2020 to 46,590 sq. km in 2021. Since the 0.69% decline in 2011, agricultural land area slumped by 5.29% in 2021. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Japan JP: Forest Area data was reported at 249,580.000 sq km in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 249,596.000 sq km for 2014. Japan JP: Forest Area data is updated yearly, averaging 249,351.000 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2015, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 249,660.000 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 248,760.000 sq km in 2000. Japan JP: Forest Area 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: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

In 2020, about *** thousand square kilometers of marine area in Japan were considered as being dedicated to the protection of biological diversity and the environment. In comparison, around ** square kilometers of marine area in North Korea were protected in 2020.