Population and Demographics of Japan
Declining since 2010 · 29.3% aged 65 or older
Japan is shrinking and aging: the population has fallen for 14 consecutive years, and almost three in ten residents are now 65 or older. The figures below come primarily from Japan's own Statistics Bureau, with UN and World Bank data used only where a genuine cross-country comparison is shown.
Japan's Population Over Time
Japan's population expanded rapidly after 1950 and stayed above 128 million around the turn of the 2010s. By 2024, the Statistics Bureau put the total at 123.802 million, a fourteenth consecutive annual decline. Japan's own National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects the population will fall to 104.686 million by 2050 under its middle fertility, middle mortality scenario, about 19.1 million below the 2024 figure. The two numbers come from different statistical products, so the gap is best read as scale rather than a precise year-by-year path.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Japan's oldest broad age group is now far larger than its youngest. People 65 and older outnumber children under 15 by more than two and a half to one, and the working-age population that supports both groups has been shrinking as a share of the total.
Population by broad age group
Official 2024 estimates. Percentages may not sum to exactly 100 due to rounding.
Female and male population
The female population exceeded the male population by about 3.34 million in 2024.
Why the Population Is Shrinking
Population change reflects births and deaths as well as migration, and Japan's recent pattern is dominated by natural decrease rather than migration.
The Statistics Bureau reported a natural decrease of 890,000 people in 2024, the eighteenth consecutive year in which deaths outnumbered births.
Migration partly offset that loss: overall migration change was positive by 340,000, driven by a 342,000 increase in the foreign population, while the Japanese population itself recorded a small negative migration change.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported a total fertility rate of 1.15 for 2024, the lowest level in the published series.
Japan vs. Region and World
Limited to the one indicator with a verified same-source, same-year comparison across Japan, the region, and the world.
| Indicator | Japan | East Asia & Pacific | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population 65 and older, share of total | 29.78% | 13.65% | 10.2% | 2024 |
This comparison uses World Bank/UN data (29.78%), which differs slightly from Japan's own Statistics Bureau estimate (29.3%) shown elsewhere on this page. Both are kept with their own source context rather than blended into one number.
Key Takeaways
Japan's population fell for the fourteenth year in a row in 2024, dropping by 550,000 people.
People 65 or older made up 29.3% of the population, compared with 11.2% under age 15.
Japan had 63.569 million females and 60.233 million males in 2024, a gap of about 3.34 million.
Japan's official middle-series projection is about 19.1 million below the observed 2024 population.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Japan?
Japan's Statistics Bureau estimated the total population at 123.802 million on October 1, 2024.
Is Japan's population declining?
Yes. Japan's total population fell by 550,000 in 2024, a decline of 0.44%, the fourteenth consecutive annual decrease.
What percentage of Japan's population is aged 65 or older?
29.3% as of 2024, according to Japan's Statistics Bureau.
What is Japan's projected population in 2050?
104.686 million, under Japan's official 2023 middle fertility, middle mortality projection.
What is Japan's fertility rate?
1.15 in 2024, according to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the lowest level in the published series.
Sources & methodology
Authoritative references supporting the data and definitions used on this page.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for total population, annual change, male and female counts, broad age groups, natural change, and migration change.
Long historical population series and the official 2023 population projection table.
Primary national source for the 2024 total fertility rate.
Global demographic estimates used for international comparison datasets.
Used only for the same-source, same-year comparison of the age 65+ share across Japan, East Asia and Pacific, and the world.