Japan Population 2023 (Live)

123,008,525

Japan’s population has been declining since 2009. In 2009, the population was 128.56 million and is expected to be 126.48 million by the end of 2020. The population is expected to fall below 100 million by 2058.

The main cause of Japan’s population decline is the rapidly decreasing number of births, which is currently at the lowest it has been since data started being collected in 1899. In 2019, only 864,000 babies were born in Japan – 54,000 less than the number from 2018. The fertility rate in Japan is 1.4 births per woman – far below the population replacement of 2.1.

Japan's efforts to increase its birth rate have been unsuccessful and the country's population is slowly declining. Some blame the economy, stating that childcare is too expensive and there is a lack of stable, well-paying jobs that would allow men to provide for their families.

Japan Population Growth

Japan’s population began to decline in 2011. The nation’s birthrate is at its lowest since 1899, with fewer babies being born each year than the previous year. In 2018, there were less than 1 million babies born for the third year in a row and a fertility rate of only 1.45 births per woman.

One reason that the Japanese birth rate may be so low is the lack of good jobs for Japanese men, who are still expected to be the breadwinners and provide for their families. The lack of good, well-paying jobs in the market is preventing men and their partners from starting families because they cannot afford to do so.

Incentives to have more children are also being announced, but as a whole, the country is just starting to feel the effects of a post-war baby boom, many of whom are now nearing the end of their years.

Slowing population growth and an aging population are creating more than a headache for the island nation, as this problem is shrinking its pool of taxable citizens, causing the social welfare costs to skyrocket, and has led to Japan becoming the most indebted industrial nation with public debt that is double its economy.

Japan's population growth rate declined in 2015 to -0.07%. Combined with an aging population, Japan loses population numbers each year equivalent to a midsized city.

Japan Population Projections

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that Japan’s population will decrease to 100 million people by 2049 from where it is now at 127 million and will continue to decrease to just above 50 million by 2100. Japan’s population decline has several social and economic repercussions, such as one-third of the population being elderly by 2036 and a lack of working-age people to help keep the economy growing.

The difference between rising death rates and lower birth rates is also clearly a factor with low fertility rates among women shouldering part of the blame. Experts attribute Japan's low growth to the high cost of raising children in the country, the growing number of women who choose to work longer and have a career rather than have children, and Japan's reluctance to accept immigrants.

Another statistic that doesn’t help the population decline is the alarming number of suicides in young people.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2023 World Percentage
Land Area
364,500
The current population of Japan is 123,008,525 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2023 population at 123,294,513.

Japan Growth Rate

Japan Population 2023 (Live)

Japan Population Clock

Japan Population (as of 12/5/2023)123,008,525
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2023)123,294,513
Births per Day2,228
Deaths per Day4,312
Migrations per Day274
Net Change per Day-1,810
Population Change Since Jan. 1-613,590

Components of Population Change

One birth every 39 seconds
One death every 20 seconds
One immigrant every 5.25 minutes
Net loss of one person every 48 seconds

Japan Population Clock

City
Population
Tokyo8,336,599
Yokohama3,574,443
Osaka2,592,413
Nagoya2,191,279
Sapporo1,883,027
Kobe1,528,478
Kyoto1,459,640
Fukuoka1,392,289
Kawasaki1,306,785
Saitama1,193,350
showing: 10 rows

Japan Area and Population Density

Japan is comprised of more than 6,800 islands, although its largest four claim 97% of its population. During the 2010-2015 period, the population of Japan declined by 947 thousand (0.7%), or by 189 thousand (0.15%) per year. It declined for the first time since the Population Census was begun in 1920.

As we’ve seen, the final census figures for 2015 showed a final count of 127,094,745 people with a population density of 340.8 people per square kilometers, thereby making Japan the 40th most densely populated country on the planet.

Largest Cities in Japan

Tokyo is not only the largest city in Japan but the largest city in the world- boasting a population of 37 million, which is 29% of the population. The surface area of the city metropolis comes to approximately 2,187.66 km2 (844.66 square miles). However, the city expands outwards to approximately 13,572 km2 (5,240 square miles). Quite the impressive sprawl. Now, to find the rough population density of the Tokyo area, we combine the total population with the available space for the residents, which comes to 6,224.66 people living per square kilometer (16,121.8 residents per square mile).

Other large cities in Japan include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, and Sapporo- all of which have populations over 2 million. For such a small country in terms of area, Japan certainly has an impressive number of sizable cities.

Japan Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
195590,090,2811.32%247.12519
196094,464,8390.95%259.12522
196599,468,7461.04%272.85623
1970105,416,8391.17%289.17624
1975112,411,6401.29%308.35623
1980117,624,1960.91%322.65723
1985121,119,0310.59%332.24722
1990123,686,3210.42%339.28726
1995125,433,9690.28%344.07825
2000126,803,8610.22%347.83927
2005127,798,3730.16%350.561029
2010128,105,4310.05%351.401036
2015127,250,933-0.13%349.061038
2017126,662,472-0.26%347.441039
2018126,255,866-0.32%346.331039
2019125,791,677-0.37%345.061040
2020125,244,761-0.43%343.561140
2022123,951,692-0.43%340.011140
2023123,294,513-0.47%338.211240
showing: 19 rows

Japan Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
2023123,294,513-0.47%338.211240
2024122,631,432-0.51%336.391240
2025121,960,408-0.53%334.551240
2030118,514,802-0.57%325.091543
2035114,907,058-0.62%315.201547
2040111,157,201-0.66%304.911550
2045107,412,293-0.68%294.641654
2050103,784,357-0.69%284.691756
2055100,261,155-0.69%275.021759
206096,631,457-0.73%265.072061
206592,862,515-0.79%254.732466
207089,136,819-0.82%244.512668
207585,749,785-0.77%235.222770
208082,836,599-0.69%227.232774
208580,297,790-0.62%220.262874
209077,959,318-0.59%213.853176
209575,741,100-0.58%207.763175
showing: 17 rows

Japan Population by Year (Projections)

Japan Population Pyramid 2023

Japan Median Age

48.6

Total

47.2

Male

50

Female

Japan Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Japan.

Census Years

Year
Date
19851 October 1985
19881 October 1988
19951 October 1995
19981 October 1998
20001 October 2000
20051 October 2005
20081 October 2008
201024 October 2010
20151 October 2015
20201 October 2020
showing: 10 rows

Japan Population Pyramid

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.

Japan Demographics

Unlike many other countries around the world today, the population of Japan appears largely homogenous 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 homogenous 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.

Japan Religion, Economy and Politics

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.

Japan Population History

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.

Japan Population Rank 2023
Country Age
Area (km²)
377,930
2023 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF)
$5,040.11
GDP (UN)
$4.94 Tn

Japan - General Info

Sources