The below dataset shows the top 800 biggest cities in the world and their populations in the year 2024. It also tells us which country and continent each city is in, and their rank based on population size. Here are the top ten cities:

• Tokyo, Japan - in Asia, with 37,115,035 people.
• Delhi, India - in Asia, with 33,807,403 people.
• Shanghai, China - in Asia, with 29,867,918 people.
• Dhaka, Bangladesh - in Asia, with 23,935,652 people.
• Sao Paulo, Brazil - in South America, with 22,806,704 people.
• Cairo, Egypt - in Africa, with 22,623,874 people.
• Mexico City, Mexico - in North America, with 22,505,315 people.
• Beijing, China - in Asia, with 22,189,082 people.
• Mumbai, India - in Asia, with 21,673,149 people.
• Osaka, Japan - in Asia, with 18,967,459 people.

In 2023, approximately *** million people within the age group of 15 to 64 years were counted in Tokyo Prefecture, an increase from about *** million people recorded in 2020. Over *** million inhabitants in the metropolis were aged 65 years and older.

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.

As of January 2024, more than ******* residents from China were registered in Tokyo Prefecture, accounting for the largest share of foreign nationals. The second-largest group of foreign nationals living in the prefecture were from South Korea.

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 November of 2025.

Tokyo is a city with a population of 13,569,446 and lies in the 5000 and above (Very High) density category. The city has an area of 1311.09 km² with a total green space of 20% and a tree coverage of 14%. The city lies in the North Temperate Zone of the world. The city has improved its Average health of urban vegetation when compared to Global Average and also improved its Urban green space per capita when compared to previous year. Within East, Southeast Asia and Oceania, 31.2% of cities are ranked lower than Tokyo.

In 2024, the male population in Tokyo Prefecture amounted to around *** million. The number of men in the prefecture declined in 2021 for the first time in the past decade.

In 2023, the male population in Tokyo Prefecture amounted to around 6.6 million. The number of men in the prefecture declined in 2021 for the first time in the past decade.

In 2023, around 137,240 deaths were recorded in Tokyo, Japan, decreasing slightly compared to the previous year. In 2023, the number of deaths reported in the Japanese metropolis was the highest among all 47 prefectures.

In 2023, Tokyo Prefecture registered 1.49 new divorces per 1,000 inhabitants, up from 1.43 divorces in the previous year. The divorce rate in the prefecture had shown a steady decrease until 2023.

In 2023, Tokyo Prefecture recorded a 0.99 total fertility rate (TFR). The total fertility rate in the prefecture showed a steady decrease in recent years and fell below one for the first time in 2023.

In 2023, the female population in Tokyo Prefecture amounted to around 6.85 million. The number of women in the prefecture decreased in 2021 for the first time in years.

In 2023, Tokyo Prefecture registered *** new marriages per 1,000 inhabitants, down from about *** marriages in the previous year. The marriage rate did not exceed *** marriages per 1,000 in 2020 for the first time in the last decade.

東京都の総人口（総数）の統計データです。最新の2024年の数値「14,178,000人」を含む1975～2024年までの推移グラフや総面積が近い沖縄県(沖縄県)と大阪府(大阪府)との比較表などの情報を無料で公開しています。csv形式でのダウンロードも可能でEXCELでも開けますので、研究や分析レポートにお役立て下さい。

In 2024, the female population in Tokyo Prefecture amounted to around **** million. The number of women in the prefecture decreased in 2021 for the first time in years.

In 2024, the total labor force in Tokyo Prefecture in Japan was composed of around *** million people. That year, men made about ** percent of the workforce in the prefecture.

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.

As of 2025, Guangzhou had the largest metropolitan population in the Asia-Pacific region, with approximately **** million inhabitants. Tokyo had the second-largest metropolitan population of around **** million inhabitants. There were a total of ** megacities with a population of over 10 million inhabitants in the Asia-Pacific region as of 2025.

The population of Tokyo City amounted to approximately **** million people in 2023. Sapporo, the largest city on the northern Japanese island Hokkaido, came in fifth with around **** million inhabitants in the same year.

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.