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Japan

Population

122,214,613

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
12th
Share of world
1.47%
Annual change
−675,7480.52%

Population of Japan

60M80M100M120M95% prediction intervalPeak2026122.2M2050 projection105.1M↓ 14% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 122,214,613. 2050 projection: 105,123,167.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Japan. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
2026122,427,7310.52%12
2025123,103,4790.51%12
2020126,304,5430.31%11
2019126,699,4240.17%10
2018126,913,4320.12%10
2017127,064,6900.08%10
2015127,275,8720.14%10
2010128,185,2750.04%10
2005127,913,3300.14%10
2000127,027,7890.22%9

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Largest Prefectures in Japan

Japan's 10 most populous prefectures, according to the October 1, 2025 census. These official census counts are separate from the UN-based national estimates above.

Japan's ten largest prefectures by 2025 census population.
1Tokyo14,236,627
2Kanagawa9,193,922
3Osaka8,759,312
4Aichi7,448,043
5Saitama7,287,325
6Chiba6,257,225
7Hyogo5,317,792
8Fukuoka5,077,785
9Hokkaido4,980,272
10Shizuoka3,465,667
View all 47 prefectures

Population by City

Tokyo is home to 10,316,210 people, 8.43% of Japan's population.

City population10M4M1.5M
Sapporo 2.1MFukuoka 1.8MNagoya 2.4MGreater TokyoTokyo 10.3MYokohama 4.0MKawasaki 1.6MSaitama 1.5MKansaiOsaka 2.8M · Kobe 1.6MKyoto 1.5M
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Tokyo10.3M8.43%
2Yokohama4.0M3.24%
3Osaka2.8M2.31%
4Nagoya2.4M1.99%
5Sapporo2.1M1.69%
6Fukuoka1.8M1.45%
7Kawasaki1.6M1.34%
8Kobe1.6M1.33%
9Saitama1.5M1.26%
10Kyoto1.5M1.25%

Japan by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
Japan is home to an estimated 122,214,613 people, the 12th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Japan has a net population change of approximately -1,886 people per day, driven by 2,042 births, 4,280 deaths, and net immigration of 352 people.
Share of world
Japan makes up 1.47% of the world's population and 2.45% of Asia's.
Density
335.9 people per km² of land (869.9 per mi²), ranking 42nd among countries and territories.
Urban living
92.3% of people live in urban areas.

Japan Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 18,413100+ years, female: 107,59495–99 years, male: 153,29695–99 years, female: 550,74590–94 years, male: 682,80990–94 years, female: 1,585,82085–89 years, male: 1,627,37785–89 years, female: 2,678,11980–84 years, male: 2,574,41280–84 years, female: 3,459,28675–79 years, male: 4,024,90475–79 years, female: 4,785,55870–74 years, male: 3,605,00070–74 years, female: 3,892,89765–69 years, male: 3,575,32265–69 years, female: 3,647,47060–64 years, male: 3,877,72060–64 years, female: 3,828,83855–59 years, male: 4,495,24355–59 years, female: 4,412,05350–54 years, male: 4,934,05250–54 years, female: 4,866,30445–49 years, male: 4,098,25745–49 years, female: 4,031,18140–44 years, male: 3,604,79240–44 years, female: 3,523,81735–39 years, male: 3,217,04035–39 years, female: 3,100,77630–34 years, male: 3,062,04530–34 years, female: 2,942,38425–29 years, male: 3,133,63625–29 years, female: 3,011,36120–24 years, male: 3,147,95320–24 years, female: 3,003,50115–19 years, male: 2,897,19215–19 years, female: 2,745,88710–14 years, male: 2,662,60910–14 years, female: 2,521,0395–9 years, male: 2,301,4925–9 years, female: 2,191,8570–4 years, male: 1,968,2590–4 years, female: 1,879,421100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–42M2M4M4M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

51.2 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

85.2 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

48.73%

Female

51.27%

Life expectancy 82.1Life expectancy 88.2

Ethnicity

97.5%

Japanese

  • Japanese97.5%
  • Other1.5%
  • Chinese0.6%
  • Korean0.4%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2022 est.

data represent population by nationality; up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil

Religion

69%

Shintoism, the largest religion

  • Shintoism69%
  • Buddhism66.7%
  • Other7.1%
  • Christianity1.5%

Reported percentages total 144.3% and are shown individually. Source note: total adherents exceed 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism

Data notes

Source estimate: 2021 est.

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Japan United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
  5. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications