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.

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.

With approximately ** million inhabitants, Tokyo Prefecture was the largest prefecture based on population size in Japan as of 2023. The smallest prefecture in this regard was Tottori Prefecture, which in the same year counted about ******* residents. Rural depopulation Like many industrial economies, Japan is facing the problem of depopulating rural areas. While the birth rate continues to decline, many young people decide to migrate from small towns and villages to large cities like Tokyo or Osaka for higher education and employment. The population of Tokyo Prefecture has shown substantial growth over the past decades and consists largely of working age citizens. Smaller communities are trying to counteract the depopulation process with initiatives meant to invite younger workers and tourists back. Migration to Japan Japan is often described as a very homogenous society, with a low share of foreign residents. Despite the declining birthrate and many businesses experiencing a labor shortage, companies have been hesitant to employ foreign workers, in part due to the strict immigration laws. The Japanese Government has tried to ease immigration restrictions and encourage foreigners to work in Japan. The largest share of foreign workers in Japan, however, is residing in the county with a permanent residence or as the family member of a Japanese national.

In 2023, the total population in Japan slightly decreased to just below 125 million people compared to the previous year, with the female population reaching around 63.9 million, as compared to 60.5 million men. The oldest population in the world  Japanese society is facing severe demographic problems such as decreasing birthrates, remaining under one million births annually recently, and a thereby aging population. The country’s average age lies at around 48 years, making its population the oldest in the world. Elderly people aged 65 years and older accounted for about 29 percent of the population in 2023. According to a forecast, the age group 65 years and older would make up approximately 39 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 seven million Japanese require long-term care, leading to national benefit expenses of over 14 trillion yen annually, including in-home and community-based services.

Japan is one of the highly urbanized and severely aging society. In an aging society, chronic disease and disability are prevalent, and the population is sensitive to environmental issues and climate change. To detect the impacts of population changes, formulate the population and public health policies, and assist environmental applications, the high-resolution and accurate gridded population dataset is strongly desired. To provide basic data for these studies, we create an open access annual dataset containing the total, male, and female population counts in each grid at a 500-m resolution from 2001 to 2020. The yearly population dataset is based on the 4th-level mesh data from the Statistics Bureau of Japan to make it easy to use. The dataset is provided here alongside the descriptions of the data and methods used in the fitting, cross-validation, and prediction processes.

The total population data are stored in 20 attributes, named the “X0000” style. The “0000” of “X0000” represents the four-digit year. For example, the attribute “X2001” reports the total 2001 population in the mesh. The dataset also preserves the direct output from the random forest and the logarithms of the total population. The attributes of the logarithms of the total population in each year are named in “X0000_log” style. The “0000” of “X0000_log” also stands for the four-digit year. The attributes of the female population, the logarithm of the female population, the male population, and the logarithm of the male population are written as “X0000_fema”, “X0000_fe_l”, “X0000_male”, and “X0000_ma_l”, respectively.

The accuracy of the models constructed to predict the total, male, and female populations are 92.09%, 91.92%, and 92.16%, respectively.

Over the last decade, Japan’s population has aged more and more, to the point where more than a quarter of Japanese were 65 years and older in 2022. Population growth has stopped and even reversed, since it’s been in the red for several years now.

It’s getting old

With almost 30 percent of its population being elderly inhabitants, Japan is considered the “oldest” country in the world today. Japan boasts a high life expectancy, in fact, the Japanese tend to live longer than the average human worldwide. The increase of the aging population is accompanied by a decrease of the total population caused by a sinking birth rate. Japan’s fertility rate has been below the replacement rate for many decades now, mostly due to economic uncertainty and thus a decreasing number of marriages.

Are the Japanese invincible?

There is no real mystery surrounding the ripe old age of so many Japanese. Their high average age is very likely due to high healthcare standards, nutrition, and an overall high standard of living – all of which could be adopted by other industrial nations as well. But with high age comes less capacity, and Japan’s future enemy might not be an early death, but rather a struggling social network.

Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data was reported at 2,189.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,514.000 Person for 2016. Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum data is updated yearly, averaging 2,617.500 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,819.000 Person in 1990 and a record low of 1,794.000 Person in 2007. Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Asylum 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. Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of asylum is the country where an asylum claim was filed and granted.; ; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Statistics Database, Statistical Yearbook and data files, complemented by statistics on Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA as published on its website. Data from UNHCR are available online at: www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html.; Sum;

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 2.1 commits countries to end hunger, ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year around. Indicator 2.1.2, “Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)”, provides internationally-comparable estimates of the proportion of the population facing difficulties in accessing food. More detailed background information is available at http://www.fao.org/in-action/voices-of-the-hungry/fies/en/

The FIES-based indicators are compiled using the FIES survey module, containing 8 questions. Two indicators can be computed:
1. The proportion of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity (SDG indicator 2.1.2), 2. The proportion of the population experiencing severe food insecurity.

These data were collected by FAO through the Gallup World Poll. General information on the methodology can be found here: https://www.gallup.com/178667/gallup-world-poll-work.aspx. National institutions can also collect FIES data by including the FIES survey module in nationally representative surveys.

Microdata can be used to calculate the indicator 2.1.2 at national level. Instructions for computing this indicator are described in the methodological document available in the downloads tab. Disaggregating results at sub-national level is not encouraged because estimates will suffer from substantial sampling and measurement error.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

Individuals of 15 years or older with access to landline and/or mobile phones.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

With some exceptions, all samples are probability based and nationally representative of the resident adult population. The coverage area is the entire country including rural areas, and the sampling frame represents the entire civilian, non-institutionalized, aged 15 and older population. For more details on the overall sampling and data collection methodology, see the World poll methodology attached as a resource in the downloads tab. Specific sampling details for each country are also attached as technical documents in the downloads tab. Exclusions: For landline RDD, excluded 12 municipalities near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. These areas were designated as not-to-call districts due to the devastation from the 2011 disasters. The exclusion represents less than 1% of the population of Japan. Design effect: 1.39

Mode of data collection

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing [CATI]

Cleaning operations

Statistical validation assesses the quality of the FIES data collected by testing their consistency with the assumptions of the Rasch model. This analysis involves the interpretation of several statistics that reveal 1) items that do not perform well in a given context, 2) cases with highly erratic response patterns, 3) pairs of items that may be redundant, and 4) the proportion of total variance in the population that is accounted for by the measurement model.

Sampling error estimates

The margin of error is estimated as 3.6. This is calculated around a proportion at the 95% confidence level. The maximum margin of error was calculated assuming a reported percentage of 50% and takes into account the design effect.

Data appraisal

The variable WHLDAY was not considered in the computation of the published FAO food insecurity indicator based on FIES due to the results of the validation process. The variable WORRIED was not considered in the computation of the published FAO food insecurity indicator based on FIES due to the results of the validation process.

Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin data was reported at 53.000 Person in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 145.000 Person for 2015. Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin data is updated yearly, averaging 21.000 Person from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2016, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 521.000 Person in 2007 and a record low of 2.000 Person in 1997. Japan JP: Refugee Population: by Country or Territory of Origin 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. Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of origin generally refers to the nationality or country of citizenship of a claimant.; ; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Statistics Database, Statistical Yearbook and data files, complemented by statistics on Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA as published on its website. Data from UNHCR are available online at: www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html.; Sum;

The 11th Population Census. In order to clarify the state of Japan’s population and households, the population census has been conducted in Japan almost every five years.More details on the "Population Census of Japan" overall including other years can be found here: https://d-infra.ier.hit-u.ac.jp/Japanese/statistical-yb/b001.html. 　　　　　From this census onward, the large-scale census contains a question about the means of transportation for commuting to work.

Iki City(Iki Shi)'s Population not working or going to school is 10,948person which is the 802nd highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 13th in Nagasaki Prefecture, with 2.02% share of the entire Nagasaki. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Iki City and Makubetsu Town(Hokkai do) and Kahoku gun uchinada Town(Ishikawa)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

According to a survey conducted in November 2023, most women in Japan were within the normal range of the body mass index (BMI). Around 69.7 percent of female respondents in the age group 30 to 39 years were of normal weight in terms of BMI, while about 12.4 percent were overweight. Weights control in Japan The majority of deaths in recent Japanese society are caused by lifestyle diseases. In order to reduce the number of deaths from lifestyle diseases, the Japanese government implemented a new annual metabolic syndrome examination in 2008 for citizens aged over 40 years old. People who are classified as having metabolic syndrome or pre-metabolic syndrome at the examination receive advice and support from a nutritionist to improve their diet and lifestyle habits. The government also introduced a new license Tokuho in 1991 for food and beverages that contain ingredients that can have a positive influence on the physiological function. Major companies in Japan currently produce a lot of food and drink products that can meet the requirement of the license. Despite those measures, the share of people in Japan that are classified as overweight has not fluctuated much in recent years. As of 2019, close to 32 percent of Japanese men were classified as obese. Underweight among young women In contrast to the people categorized as overweight, young female Japanese are facing an underweight problem. According to the survey, approximately 24 percent of women in their twenties and 18.3 percent of girls below 20 years old were reported as being underweight. The Japanese health ministry pointed out that the dissemination of beauty standards in society and media, alongside the flooded information about diet methods, are facilitating young Japanese women’s desire to be “thin.” To reduce the risk of health disorders, such as amenorrhea and osteoporosis among women, the government has set the goal of less than 15 percent of the female population under 30 years old to be underweight by 2032.

In 2024, approximately **** million residents of foreign nationality were registered in Japan, making up below ***** percent of the population. The total number of foreign residents increased by about ****million in the last decade. Development of immigration to Japan Except for a large minority of people of Korean descent who have lived in Japan since the first half of the twentieth century, immigration of people from other countries did not become an issue in Japan until the 1980s when the economy required more labor. A revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 1990 allowed people of Japanese descent, so-called "nikkeijin," to enter the country and work without restrictions. The nikkeijin who entered Japan in the years that followed mainly came from Brazil and other South American countries. Chinese immigration increased as well throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. A breakdown of foreign residents by major nationalities shows that ********immigrants overtook ******* as the largest minority group in 2007. People from ******* were the strongest growing minority in the 2010s. Recent immigration reform Due to its demographic changes, Japan has a relatively low unemployment rate. As a consequence, a large share of companies report labor shortages. The temporary immigration of foreign workers is considered one of the possible solutions to this problem, next to the increasing labor market participation of women and the elderly. In 2019, the Japanese government enacted a major immigration reform. The reform allowed lower- and semi-skilled workers to enter the country and work in one of 14 different industries suffering from a lack of labor. The vast majority of participants are not allowed to bring their family members and are expected to return to their respective countries after their terms in Japan end.

Oyama City(Oyama Shi)'s Population not working or going to school is 56,590person which is the 172nd highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 4th in Tochigi Prefecture, with 8.16% share of the entire Tochigi. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Oyama City and Urayasu City(Chiba) and Obihiro City(Hokkai do)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.

Japan JP: Prevalence of Stunting: Height for Age: % of Children Under 5, Modeled Estimate data was reported at 5.200 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.100 % for 2023. Japan JP: Prevalence of Stunting: Height for Age: % of Children Under 5, Modeled Estimate data is updated yearly, averaging 6.200 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2024, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.900 % in 2009 and a record low of 5.100 % in 2023. Japan JP: Prevalence of Stunting: Height for Age: % of Children Under 5, Modeled Estimate 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: Social: Health Statistics. Prevalence of stunting is the percentage of children under age 5 whose height for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. For children up to two years old height is measured by recumbent length. For older children height is measured by stature while standing. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.;UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME).;Weighted average;Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth (UNICEF). Being even mildly underweight increases the risk of death and inhibits cognitive development in children. And it perpetuates the problem across generations, as malnourished women are more likely to have low-birth-weight babies. Stunting, or being below median height for age, is often used as a proxy for multifaceted deprivation and as an indicator of long-term changes in malnutrition. Estimates are modeled estimates produced by the JME. Primary data sources of the anthropometric measurements are national surveys. These surveys are administered sporadically, resulting in sparse data for many countries. Furthermore, the trend of the indicators over time is usually not a straight line and varies by country. Tracking the current level and progress of indicators helps determine if countries are on track to meet certain thresholds, such as those indicated in the SDGs. Thus the JME developed statistical models and produced the modeled estimates.

Nationwide and regional block-wise number of households per unit-district and members per household in Japan.

Background: Anthropogenic factors potentially affect observed biogeographical patterns in genetic variations of populations, but the effects of ancient human activities on the original patterns that were created by natural processes are unknown. Sinotaia quadrata, a widely distributed freshwater snail species in East Asia, was used to investigate this issue. It is unclear if S. quadrata in Japan was introduced from China, and how different human uses and varying geographic patterns affect the genetic structure of contemporary populations between the two regions. Thus, we investigated the population history of S. quadrata and detected its genetic structure in Japan and continental East Asia.

Results: S. quadrata populations first naturally migrated from continental East Asia to Japan, which is associated with the ancient period in Japanese geohistory (about 70,000 years ago). They were then artificially introduced in association with agriculture expansion by human movements in two recent periods (about 8000 and 1200 years ago). Populations in different parts of Japan have their own sources. Natural migration in the ancient period and artificial introduction in the recent period suggest that the population distribution is affected by both the geohistory of East Asia and the history of human expansion. In the background of the historical migration and introduction, contemporary populations in the two regions show different genetic patterns. Population divergence levels were significantly correlated with geographical patterns in Japan, and significantly correlated with human interventions variables in continental East Asia, suggesting that long-term geographical isolation is likely the major factor that shaped the genetic structure of contemporary populations in Japan, while modern human uses are likely the major factor in continental East Asia.

Conclusions: Our preliminary results show a complex population history and unusual genetic patterns in the contemporary populations for a common freshwater snail and are of significance to determine the historical formation and contemporary patterns of biogeography in Japan and continental East Asia.

Methods This data set is used for population genetics analysis for the freshwater snail, Sinotaia quadrata. Genetic data set is genotyped using 12 microsatellite loci, and divided to three structure files of total, Japan, and (East Asia) continent, respectively. The DIYABC input file contains 237 randomly sampled individuals representing for the four groups in the East Asia continent and Japan. It is used for population history analysis in software DIYABC. The variable data are extracted from WorldClim (http://worldclim.org) and NASA’s Earth Observation system Data and Information System (EOSDIS) (https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu). Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 are files corresponding to the main text.

Additional file 2: Table S2.

Nihommatsu City(Nihommatsu Shi)'s Population not working or going to school is 21,520person which is the 484th highest in Japan (by City). It also ranks 8th in Fukushima Prefecture, with 3.12% share of the entire Fukushima. Transition Graphs and Comparison chart between Nihommatsu City and Shigaken konan City(Shiga) and Naka City(Ibaraki)(Closest City in Population) are available. Various data can be downloaded and output in csv format for use in EXCEL free of charge.