Urban population in Japan
Japan: Urban population was 113.87 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
113.87 million
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
7th
of 218 countries
All-time high
116.24 million
in 2017
All-time low
58.97 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Japan stood at 113.87 million.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Japan peaked at 116.24 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 58.97 million, in 1960.
That places Japan 7th out of 218 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.
Urban population in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 58.97 million | — |
| 1961 | 60.45 million | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 61.93 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 63.43 million | +2.4% |
| 1964 | 64.94 million | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 66.49 million | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 67.93 million | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 69.44 million | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 71.03 million | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 72.67 million | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 74.31 million | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 76.85 million | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 78.97 million | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 81.13 million | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 83.07 million | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 84.63 million | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 85.68 million | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 86.58 million | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 87.42 million | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 88.21 million | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 88.97 million | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 89.72 million | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 90.46 million | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 91.22 million | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 91.95 million | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 92.67 million | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 93.31 million | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 93.92 million | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 94.47 million | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 95.02 million | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 95.50 million | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 96.04 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 96.57 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 97.05 million | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 97.49 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 97.89 million | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 98.26 million | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 98.62 million | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 99.00 million | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 99.34 million | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 99.71 million | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 100.65 million | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 102.65 million | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 105.27 million | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 107.79 million | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 109.83 million | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 111.42 million | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 112.99 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 114.35 million | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 115.39 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 116.06 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 116.15 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 116.18 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 116.17 million | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 116.15 million | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 116.15 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 116.22 million | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 116.24 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 116.21 million | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 116.14 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 115.88 million | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 115.47 million | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 115.09 million | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 114.66 million | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 114.29 million | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 113.87 million | -0.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 113.87 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 50.8× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 113.87 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 166.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 65.73 million | 58.97 million | 72.67 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 82.69 million | 74.31 million | 88.21 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 92.17 million | 88.97 million | 95.02 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 97.58 million | 95.50 million | 99.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 108.00 million | 99.71 million | 115.39 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 116.17 million | 116.06 million | 116.24 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 114.88 million | 113.87 million | 115.88 million | 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 urban population in Japan?
- Urban population in Japan was 113.87 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 116.24 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.97 million in 1960.
- How does Japan rank for urban population?
- Japan ranks 7th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.