Urban population growth in Japan
Japan: Urban population growth was -0.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Japan, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Japan stood at -0.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.9% on the previous year and down 23,213.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Japan peaked at 3.4% in 1971 and was at its lowest, -0.4%, in 2023.
That places Japan 200th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 0.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 0.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.1% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3% | -0.4% | -0.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- Population growth -0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 123.37 million (2025)
- Urban population 113.87 million (2025)
- Urban population 92.3% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 65.6% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 79.7 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 18.5% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 29.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 15.1% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 13.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Japan?
- Urban population growth in Japan was -0.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1971.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.4% in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for urban population growth?
- Japan ranks 200th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23,213.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.