Population growth in Japan
Japan: Population growth was -0.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Japan, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Japan is -0.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.0% on the previous year and down 363.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Japan peaked at 2.2% in 1971 and was at its lowest, -0.5%, in 2025.
Japan ranks 197th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Japan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.9% | — |
| 1962 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 1963 | 1.0% | +9.1% |
| 1964 | 1.0% | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -15.1% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | +13.2% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | +8.9% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | +90.5% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -36.2% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | -15.8% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | -9.7% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | -6.0% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -6.9% |
| 1981 | 0.7% | -7.6% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | -3.5% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | -15.0% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | -9.5% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | -17.0% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +18.4% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -12.7% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -13.9% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -16.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | +14.0% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -32.8% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +44.0% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -84.3% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | -72.1% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | +574.8% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | +81.3% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | -57.9% |
| 2009 | -0.0% | -125.8% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | -243.7% |
| 2011 | -0.2% | -1131.3% |
| 2012 | -0.2% | -13.8% |
| 2013 | -0.1% | -9.7% |
| 2014 | -0.1% | -8.0% |
| 2015 | -0.1% | -20.0% |
| 2016 | -0.1% | -51.8% |
| 2017 | -0.1% | +60.1% |
| 2018 | -0.1% | +55.0% |
| 2019 | -0.1% | +10.7% |
| 2020 | -0.3% | +109.4% |
| 2021 | -0.5% | +56.3% |
| 2022 | -0.4% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | -0.5% | +9.8% |
| 2024 | -0.4% | -10.6% |
| 2025 | -0.5% | +13.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's -0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's -0.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | -1131.3% | 0.0% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | +574.8% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | +243.7% | -0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2009 | -125.8% | 0.0% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | -109.4% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | +90.5% | 1.2% | 2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1% | -0.2% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.4% | -0.5% | -0.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Japan?
- Population growth in Japan was -0.5% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1971.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5% in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for population growth?
- Japan ranks 197th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 363.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.