* As of 6/9/2025
1 birth
Every 42.2 seconds
1 death
Every 20.3 seconds
1 immigrant
Every 3.7 minutes
1 person
Every 47.6 seconds
Japan, the island nation in East Asia, is a fairly sizable archipelago of 6,852 islands, although the four largest islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku) account for 97% of its population. The last set of official figures pertaining to Japan’s population were released at the time of the 2015 census and the final statistics showed there were 127,094,745 people there. The most recent estimate places the number lower at 126.71 million, still the world’s 10th most populous country.
The commonly held view that the population of Japan is in line for a sharp decline is backed up by the numbers. Based on the projections by the United Nations (visible in the graph below), the downturn will continue, and possibly accelerate.
Unlike many other countries around the world today, the population of Japan appears largely homogeneous with the final population statistics comprised of a 98.5% contribution from ethnic Japanese people. In addition, there is a very small proportion of foreign workers living here, largely made up of Koreans, Chinese, Peruvians and Brazilians.
The largest native ethnic group in Japan is the Yamato people, although large minority groups include the indigenous Ryukyuan and Ainu peoples. While Japan may seem homogeneous in terms of ethnicity and culture, this may be due to Japan’s absence of racial and ethnic statistics for Japanese nationals. The country has traditionally rejected the need to recognize ethnic differences in Japan, and former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso once described the country as one of “one nation, one civilization, one language, one culture and one race.”
Japan is currently the world’s oldest country, and it’s set to get even older. The number of elderly people aged 65 or older accounts for 26.7 percent of the 127.11 million total population, up 3.7 percentage points from five years ago, a summary report of the 2015 national census shows. In 2050, it’s estimated by the government that 40% of Japan’s population will be over 65. In the last few decades, the country’s social security budget has increased 15%. While 5 decades ago there were 12 workers for every retiree, there will be an equal 1:1 ratio in 50 years. This is one of any demographics problems Japan must address.
Most people in Japan identify with a religion, however it usually doesn’t play a huge role in their everyday lives. A large majority of the Japanese consider themselves to be either Buddhist , Shintoist or both. There are also a small number of Christians in Japan.
Overall, Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world even though it is expected to fall slightly in the near future. However, with low birth rates, the population is rapidly aging but in 2007, the country announced its first significant birth rate increase in many years, so could the predictions be false?
Unfortunately, Japan has one of the world’s highest suicide rates, and suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 30. Factors in suicides in the country include social pressure, depression and unemployment, and the National Police Agency found that suicides linked to job loss increased 65.4%. There was a suicide in Japan every 15 minutes, with close to 33,000 reported in 2009. Luckily, suicide rates have been on the decline for three consecutive years. This is just one of the many problems Japan will need to control to see its population and economy grow into the future.
By 1873 (the approximate time of the Meiji Restoration), Tokyo Japan had a population of just over a half of a million residents, which tripled in size in only 30 years to over 1,500,000 individuals. The total estimated population of the time was already well over 33 million residents as well. The strong growth of this country is evident even from the start of national censuses, which officially began in 1920 and every 5 years after.
