Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan
Japan: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people was 14.49 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
14.49 million people
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
28th
of 236 countries
All-time high
30.94 million people
in 1953
All-time low
14.49 million people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Japan recorded 14.49 million people for share of children, working-age adults, and older people in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan peaked at 30.94 million people in 1953 and was at its lowest, 14.49 million people, in 2023.
That places Japan 28th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.45 million people | — |
| 1951 | 30.67 million people | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 30.80 million people | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 30.94 million people | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 30.92 million people | -0.1% |
| 1955 | 30.62 million people | -1.0% |
| 1956 | 30.17 million people | -1.5% |
| 1957 | 29.68 million people | -1.6% |
| 1958 | 29.17 million people | -1.7% |
| 1959 | 28.85 million people | -1.1% |
| 1960 | 28.76 million people | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 28.33 million people | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 27.46 million people | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 26.54 million people | -3.3% |
| 1964 | 25.80 million people | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 25.32 million people | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 24.81 million people | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 24.50 million people | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 24.53 million people | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 24.65 million people | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 24.82 million people | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 25.11 million people | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 25.57 million people | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 26.10 million people | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 26.61 million people | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 27.02 million people | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 27.34 million people | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 27.58 million people | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 27.74 million people | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 27.81 million people | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 27.74 million people | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 27.71 million people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 27.55 million people | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 27.16 million people | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 26.73 million people | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 26.19 million people | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 25.53 million people | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 24.78 million people | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 23.94 million people | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 23.06 million people | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 22.24 million people | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 21.55 million people | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 20.98 million people | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 20.47 million people | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 20.03 million people | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 19.65 million people | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 19.31 million people | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 19.02 million people | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 18.75 million people | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 18.49 million people | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 18.27 million people | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 18.09 million people | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 17.94 million people | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 17.81 million people | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 17.69 million people | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 17.59 million people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 17.50 million people | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 17.41 million people | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 17.34 million people | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 17.25 million people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 17.14 million people | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 17.02 million people | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 16.88 million people | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 16.72 million people | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 16.54 million people | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 16.35 million people | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 16.18 million people | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 16.02 million people | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 15.85 million people | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 15.67 million people | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 15.44 million people | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 15.14 million people | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 14.82 million people | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 14.49 million people | -2.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 14.49 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 424,895 people, 34.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 14.49 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 473,838 people, 30.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 30.23 million people | 28.85 million people | 30.94 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 26.07 million people | 24.50 million people | 28.76 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 26.57 million people | 24.82 million people | 27.81 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.04 million people | 23.06 million people | 27.74 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.05 million people | 18.49 million people | 22.24 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.69 million people | 17.25 million people | 18.27 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.44 million people | 15.67 million people | 17.14 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.97 million people | 14.49 million people | 15.44 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.83 million people (2100)
- Population density 210.83 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2372 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.5891 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan?
- Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Japan was 14.49 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 30.94 million people in 1953.
- What is the lowest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.49 million people in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Japan ranks 28th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.