Japan People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

123,719,238 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Japanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Japanese

Ethnic groups

Japanese 97.9%, Chinese 0.6%, Korean 0.4%, other 1.1% (includes Vietnamese, Filipino, and Brazilian) (2017 est.)

note: data represent population by nationality; up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil

Languages

Japanese

major-language sample(s):
必要不可欠な基本情報の源、ワールド・ファクトブック(Japanese)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Japanese audio sample:

Religions

Shintoism 70.5%, Buddhism 67.2%, Christianity 1.5%, other 5.9% (2019 est.)

note: total adherents exceeds 100% because many people practice both Shintoism and Buddhism

Age structure

0-14 years: 12.29% (male 7,835,474/female 7,370,449)

15-64 years: 58.49% (male 36,378,186/female 35,981,176)

65 years and over: 29.22% (2023 est.) (male 15,909,031/female 20,244,922)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 71.1

youth dependency ratio: 20.1

elderly dependency ratio: 51

potential support ratio: 2 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 48.6 years

male: 47.2 years

female: 50 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.41% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

6.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

all primary and secondary regions of high population density lie on the coast; one-third of the population resides in and around Tokyo on the central plain (Kanto Plain)

Urbanization

urban population: 92% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -0.25% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

37.194 million TOKYO (capital), 19.013 million Osaka, 9.569 million Nagoya, 5.490 million Kitakyushu-Fukuoka, 2.937 million Shizuoka-Hamamatsu, 2.666 million Sapporo (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

30.7 years (2018 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

4 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 1.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 1.99 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 1.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 85 years

male: 82.11 years

female: 88.06 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.39 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.68 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

39.8% (2015)

note: percent of women aged 20-49

Drinking water source

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 99.1% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure

10.9% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

2.48 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

13 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 99.9% of population

unimproved: urban: N/A

rural: N/A

total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

4.3% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 8.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer: 1.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine: 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits: 1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols: 5.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 20.1% (2020 est.)

male: 30.1% (2020 est.)

female: 10% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

N/A

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

46.8% (2023 est.)

Education expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2019)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 4.4%

male: 4.6%

female: 4.1% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Japan on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Japan 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Japan 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.