Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan
Japan: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 68.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan stood at 68.4%.
That represents a change of down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan peaked at 68.7% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 43.7%, in 1950.
That places Japan 19th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.7% | — |
| 1955 | 47.5% | +8.8% |
| 1960 | 52.4% | +10.3% |
| 1965 | 57.4% | +9.6% |
| 1970 | 60.4% | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 62.7% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 63.8% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 64.3% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 66.0% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 67.9% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 67.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 68.3% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 68.7% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 68.4% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 68.4% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 45.6% | 43.7% | 47.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 54.9% | 52.4% | 57.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 61.5% | 60.4% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 64.1% | 63.8% | 64.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 66.9% | 66.0% | 67.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 68.0% | 67.8% | 68.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 68.6% | 68.4% | 68.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 68.4% | 68.4% | 68.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More population data for Japan
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 103,784 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.5891 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2372 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 210.83 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.83 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Japan was 68.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.7% in 1950.
- How does Japan rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Japan ranks 19th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.