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 total population for Japan by year from 1950 to 2025.

Die Gesamtbevölkerung in Japan wurde laut den neuesten Zensusdaten und Prognosen von Trading Economics im Jahr 2024 auf 123,6 Millionen Menschen geschätzt. Diese Werte, historische Daten, Prognosen, Statistiken, Diagramme und ökonomische Kalender - Japan - Bevölkerung.

Key information about Japan population

• The Japan population reached 123.7 million people in Dec 2024, compared with the previously reported figure of 124.3 million people in Dec 2023
• The data reached an all-time high of 128.1 million people in Dec 2010 and a record low of 43.4 million people in Dec 1899

• In the latest reports, Japan Unemployment Rate increased to 2.5 % in Oct 2024
• Monthly earnings of the Japan population was 1,957.4 USD in Oct 2024
• Japan Labour Force Participation Rate remained the same rate at 63.5 % in Oct 2024

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.

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.

Population growth (annual %) in Japan was reported at --0.48737 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Population ages 15-64 (% of total population) in Japan was reported at 58.78 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population ages 15-64 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Population, female (% of total population) in Japan was reported at 51.19 % in 2023, 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 July of 2025.

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

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

Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) in Japan was reported at 11.07 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population ages 0-14, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Approximately **** million women within the age group of 65 years and older were forecast for 2024 in Japan. While the projection indicated a constant decrease for women aged under 65 years, the female population aged 65 and older was forecast to grow until 2040 and thereafter drop to about ** million by 2120.

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.

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

As of October 2024, the total female population in Japan was estimated to be around ***** million people. With an estimated ***** million women by 2120, the data indicated a decrease of about ** percent.

Population ages 25-29, female (% of female population) in Japan was reported at 4.7191 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Population ages 25-29, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

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.

According to a projection made in 2023, it was forecast that the number of people aged 65 years or older in Japan would increase from about **** million in 2024 to around ** million people by 2033. By contrast, the number of children, as well as the working-age population, was forecast to shrink in the same period.

Urban population (% of total population) in Japan was reported at 92.13 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.