Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan
Japan: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 80.94 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
80.94 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
5th
of 121 countries
All-time high
81.77 million
in 2018
All-time low
37.52 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan is 80.94 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Japan peaked at 81.77 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 37.52 million, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 37.52 million | — |
| 1961 | 39.24 million | +4.6% |
| 1962 | 41.04 million | +4.6% |
| 1963 | 42.93 million | +4.6% |
| 1964 | 44.91 million | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 46.98 million | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 48.50 million | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 49.84 million | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 51.22 million | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 52.63 million | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 54.09 million | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 55.40 million | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 56.69 million | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 58.00 million | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 59.35 million | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 60.74 million | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 61.62 million | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 62.33 million | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 63.05 million | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 63.78 million | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 64.53 million | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 65.18 million | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 65.81 million | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 66.45 million | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 67.09 million | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 67.74 million | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 68.52 million | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 69.36 million | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 70.20 million | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 71.06 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 71.92 million | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 72.50 million | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 72.97 million | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 73.45 million | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 73.93 million | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 74.41 million | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 74.64 million | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 74.78 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 74.93 million | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 75.07 million | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 75.22 million | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 75.65 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 76.20 million | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 76.77 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 77.37 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 77.99 million | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 78.49 million | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 78.95 million | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 79.41 million | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 79.88 million | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 80.36 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 80.61 million | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.77 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 80.94 million | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 81.10 million | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.27 million | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 81.44 million | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 81.60 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.77 million | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 81.72 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 81.64 million | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.55 million | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.42 million | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 81.28 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 81.12 million | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 80.94 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.48 million | 37.52 million | 52.63 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.51 million | 54.09 million | 63.78 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.59 million | 64.53 million | 71.06 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.86 million | 71.92 million | 75.07 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.59 million | 75.22 million | 79.88 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.16 million | 80.36 million | 81.77 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.32 million | 80.94 million | 81.64 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More urban development data for Japan
- Population in the largest city 32.5% (2025)
- Population density 341.55 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 11.45 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.6561 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.222 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 222.95 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 37.04 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 113.6 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 1,808 Hectares (2020)
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 80.94 million 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 81.77 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.52 million 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 down 0.4%. 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. 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
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.