Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Tokyo, Japan metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

In 2023, approximately 9.4 million people within the age group of 15 to 64 years were counted in Tokyo Prefecture, an increase from about 8.94 million people recorded in 2020. Over 3.2 million inhabitants in the metropolis were aged 65 years and older.

The statistic shows the population of the Greater Tokyo Area from 1950 to 2015, with a projection up to 2030. In 2015, the population of the Greater Tokyo Area stood at about 37.3 million and was estimated to maintain that level until 2020.

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 Global Human Footprint dataset of the Last of the Wild Project, version 2, 2005 (LWPv2) is the Human Influence Index (HII) normalized by biome and realm. The HII is a global dataset of 1 km grid cells, created from nine global data layers covering human population pressure (population density), human land use and infraestructure (built-up areas, nighttime lights, land use/land cover) and human access (coastlines, roads, navigable rivers).The Human Footprint Index (HF) map, expresses as a percentage the relative human influence in each terrestrial biome. HF values from 0 to 100. A value of zero represents the least influence -the "most wild" part of the biome with value of 100 representing the most influence (least wild) part of the biome.

Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 5 to 9 Years data was reported at 262.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 261.000 Person th for 2016. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 5 to 9 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 247.000 Person th from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 262.000 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 231.000 Person th in 1999. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 5 to 9 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G003: Population: Annual: By Prefecture.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Osaka, Japan metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

In 2023, the unemployment rate of women aged 15 years and older in Tokyo Prefecture was around 2.4 percent, while that of men was about 2.6 percent. The unemployment rate of men in the prefecture declined after rising for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.

In 2023, the total population in Japan's capital Tokyo Prefecture amounted to approximately 14.1 million inhabitants. Tokyo's population rebounded after it declined for the first time post-WWII in 2021.

Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 45 to 49 Years data was reported at 1,144.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,125.000 Person th for 2016. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 45 to 49 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 870.000 Person th from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,144.000 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 710.000 Person th in 2003. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 45 to 49 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G003: Population: Annual: By Prefecture.

115,70 (Index) in 2022. Base year - 2001

Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 70 to 74 Years data was reported at 332.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 317.000 Person th for 2016. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 70 to 74 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 300.500 Person th from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 342.000 Person th in 2014 and a record low of 178.000 Person th in 1996. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: 70 to 74 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G003: Population: Annual: By Prefecture.

Throughout the Common Era, Japan's population saw relatively steady growth between each century. Failed invasions and distance from Asia's mainland meant that Japan was unaffected by many pandemics, primarily bubonic plague, therefore its development was not drastically impeded in the same way as areas such as China or Europe. Additionally, religious practices meant that hygiene was prioritized much more in Japan than in other regions, and dietary customs saw lower rates of meat consumption and regular boiling of water in meals or tea; both of these factors contributed to lower rates of infection for many parasitic or water-borne diseases. Fewer international conflicts and domestic stability also saw lower mortality in this regard, and Japan was an considered an outlier by Asian standards, as some shifting trends associated with the demographic transition (such as lower child mortality and fertility) began taking place in the 17th century; much earlier time than anywhere else in the world. Yet the most significant changes came in the 20th century, as Japan's advanced healthcare and sanitation systems saw drastic reductions in mortality. Challenges Japan's isolation meant that, when pandemics did arrive, the population had less protection and viruses could have higher mortality rates; smallpox has been cited as the deadliest of these pandemics, although increased international contact in the late 19th century brought new viruses, and population growth slowed. Earlier isolation also meant that crop failure or food shortages could leave large sections of the population vulnerable, and, as mentioned, the Japanese diet contained relatively little meat, therefore there was a higher reliance on crops and vegetables. It is believed that the shortage of arable land and the acidity of the soil due to volcanic activity meant that agriculture was more challenging in Japan than on the Asian mainland. For most of history, paddy fields were the most efficient source of food production in Japan, but the challenging nature of this form of agriculture and changes in employment trends gradually led to an increased reliance in imported crops. Post-Sakoku Japan Distance from the Asian mainland was not the only reason for Japan's isolation; from 1603 to 1853, under the Tokugawa shogunate, international trade was restricted, migration abroad was forbidden, and most foreign interaction was centered around Nagasaki. American neo-imperialism then forced Japan to open trade with the west, and Japan became an imperial power by the early-1900s. Japanese expansion began with a series of military victories against China and Russia at the turn of the century, and the annexation of Taiwan, Korea, and Manchuria by the 1930s, before things escalated further during its invasion of China and the Second World War. Despite its involvement in so many wars, the majority of conflicts involving Japan were overseas, therefore civilian casualties were much lower than those suffered by other Asian countries during this time. After Japan's defeat in 1945, its imperial ambitions were abandoned, it developed strong economic ties with the West, and had the fastest economic growth of any industrial country in the post-WWII period. Today, Japan is one of the most demographically advanced countries in the world, with the highest life expectancy in most years. However, its population has been in a steady decline for over a decade, and low fertility and an over-aged society are considered some of the biggest challenges to Japanese society today.

Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: Over 85 Years data was reported at 146.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 136.000 Person th for 2016. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: Over 85 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 106.000 Person th from Dec 2007 (Median) to 2017, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 146.000 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 84.000 Person th in 2007. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: Male: Over 85 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G003: Population: Annual: By Prefecture.

Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 5 to 9 Years data was reported at 512.000 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 509.000 Person th for 2016. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 5 to 9 Years data is updated yearly, averaging 483.000 Person th from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 512.000 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 453.000 Person th in 1999. Japan Population: Tokyo-to: 5 to 9 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.G003: Population: Annual: By Prefecture.

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.

In 2020, the population of Tokyo Metropolis amounted to over 6,402 inhabitants per square kilometer. The number increased from approximately 5,517 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2000.

Estimation results for detailed periods.

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.

As of January 2024, Hangzhou in China had the highest annual metropolitan population growth rate among megacities in the Asia-Pacific region, at about five percent. In contrast, all three Japanese megacities Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka had the lowest annual population growth rates across APAC, with Osaka's population shrinking by 0.05 percent as of January 2024.