Urban population in Japan
Japan: Urban population was 92.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Japan recorded 92.3% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Japan peaked at 92.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 63.3%, in 1960.
That places Japan 26th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 63.3% | — |
| 1961 | 64.3% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 65.2% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 66.1% | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 67.0% | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 67.9% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 68.7% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 69.5% | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 70.3% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 71.1% | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 71.9% | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 72.7% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 73.7% | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 74.6% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 75.4% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 75.9% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 76.0% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 76.0% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 76.1% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 76.1% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 76.2% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 76.3% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 76.3% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 76.5% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 76.6% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 76.7% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 76.8% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 76.9% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 77.1% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 77.2% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 77.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 77.5% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 77.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 77.9% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 78.0% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 78.1% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 78.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 78.3% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 78.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 79.2% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 80.5% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 82.4% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 84.4% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 86.0% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 87.1% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 88.3% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 89.3% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 90.1% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 90.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 90.9% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 91.0% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 91.2% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 91.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 91.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 91.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 91.5% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 91.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 91.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 91.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 91.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 92.0% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 92.1% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 92.2% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 92.3% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.3% | 63.3% | 71.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 74.8% | 71.9% | 76.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.7% | 76.2% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.9% | 77.3% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.6% | 78.6% | 90.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.3% | 90.6% | 91.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.0% | 91.8% | 92.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- 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)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 252.18 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Japan?
- Urban population in Japan was 92.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 92.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.3% in 1960.
- How does Japan rank for urban population?
- Japan ranks 26th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.