Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan
Japan: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 65.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan is 65.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan peaked at 65.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 40.2%, in 1960.
That places Japan 5th out of 121 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 40.2% | — |
| 1961 | 41.7% | +3.6% |
| 1962 | 43.2% | +3.6% |
| 1963 | 44.8% | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 46.3% | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 48.0% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 49.1% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 49.9% | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 50.7% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 51.5% | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 52.3% | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 52.9% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 53.4% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 53.9% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 54.4% | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 54.6% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 54.7% | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 54.9% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 55.0% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 55.2% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 55.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 55.5% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 55.7% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 55.9% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 56.1% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 56.4% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 56.8% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 57.3% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 57.7% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 58.2% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 58.5% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 58.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 58.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 59.1% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 59.3% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 59.4% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 59.3% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 59.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 59.3% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 59.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 59.5% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 59.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 60.1% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 60.6% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 61.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 61.4% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 61.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 62.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 62.7% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 63.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 63.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 63.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 63.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 63.9% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 64.1% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 64.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 64.5% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 64.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 64.7% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 64.9% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 65.1% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 65.4% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 65.6% | +0.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 65.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.3%, 2.3× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Japan's 65.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.6%, 2.3× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.5% | 40.2% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.9% | 52.3% | 55.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.2% | 55.2% | 57.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.0% | 58.2% | 59.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.8% | 59.3% | 62.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.8% | 62.7% | 64.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.2% | 64.7% | 65.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 3 Puerto Rico 76.4% compare
- 4 Kuwait 70.0% compare
- 6 Congo 65.3% compare
- 7 Australia 60.7% compare
- 8 United Arab Emirates 57.5% compare
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 in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan was 65.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 65.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2% in 1960.
- How does Japan rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Japan ranks 5th out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.