Japan Population
Japan had an estimated population of 123,366,734 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 12th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 1.50% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.49% a year.
Japan at a glance
How Japan's population is changing
Japan's population is shrinking: −0.49% a year, which works out to about −607,141 people per year, or −1,662 a day. Births (5.7 per 1,000) and deaths (13.3 per 1,000) alone would give −0.76% a year; net migration adds about 140,579 people a year (+0.11%). Roughly one in every 67 people on Earth lives in Japan.
Population of Japan since 1960
In 1960, Japan had 93,216,000 people. By 2025 that was 123,366,734 — 1.3× larger. The population peaked in 2010 at 128,070,000 and has declined since. The fastest growth came between 1966 and 1976, when the population rose by 14%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 93,216,000 | — |
| 1970 | 103,403,000 | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 116,807,000 | +13.0% |
| 1990 | 123,478,000 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 126,843,000 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 128,070,000 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 126,261,000 | −1.4% |
| 2025 | 123,366,734 | −2.3% |
Japan from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Japan at about 28,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 123,103,480 in 2025 (4× 1800) and projects 76,845,989 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2009 at 128,192,471 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 28,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 32,050,374 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 44,416,502 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 86,443,278 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 127,027,794 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 123,103,480 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 105,123,163 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 87,352,848 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 76,845,989 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Japan
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 123,366,734. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | 14,187,176 | metropolis | 11.50% | GeoNames administrative-unit record; Population reference date not supplied in local record; GeoNames record modified 2026-04-16 (not the population date) |
| 2 | Osaka | 12,964,145 | UN urban centre | 10.51% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Nagoya | 7,146,160 | UN urban centre | 5.79% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Yokohama | 3,777,491 | GeoNames settlement | 3.06% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Fukuoka | 2,225,078 | UN urban centre | 1.80% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Sapporo | 1,964,519 | UN urban centre | 1.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Kawasaki | 1,538,262 | GeoNames settlement | 1.25% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Kobe | 1,525,152 | GeoNames settlement | 1.24% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Kyoto | 1,463,723 | GeoNames settlement | 1.19% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Saitama | 1,324,854 | GeoNames settlement | 1.07% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Japan compares
Japan has almost the same population as Egypt (118,365,995).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10 |  Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | +10% | compare → |
| #11 |  Mexico | 131,946,900 | +7% | compare → |
| #13 |  Egypt | 118,365,995 | −4% | compare → |
| #14 |  Philippines | 116,786,962 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Japan with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar.
Explore around Japan
Nearest countries
Japan has no land border. Closest by distance:
South Korea 51,684,564 · 2.4× smaller · compare
North Korea 26,571,036 · 4.6× smaller · compare
China 1,406,585,000 · 11.4× the population · compare
Northern Mariana Islands 43,541 · 2833.3× smaller · compare
In its region
Japan is the 3rd most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 5.2% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Japan
- Largest countries by population #12
- Fastest-shrinking countries #12
- Lowest birth rates #6
- Oldest populations (share aged 65+) #2
- Highest life expectancy #10
Cities
Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Kawasaki, Kobe — all Japan's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Japan when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
An older population is not an individual life forecast
Japan's age distribution and its life-expectancy figure answer different questions. The share aged 65+ describes the people in the population in the stated year; life expectancy at birth summarizes period mortality conditions for a hypothetical newborn.
Subtracting your age from that figure does not estimate how long you have left to live. Nor does a higher elderly share by itself establish why population is falling. Read a worked age-structure example, then compare the definitions and years here.