Survival ages across the population in Japan

Japan: Survival ages across the population was 35.43 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
35.43 years
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
10th
of 41 countries
All-time high
36.59 years
in 2019
All-time low
0.12 years
in 1947
Years of data
77
1947–2023

Survival ages across the population in Japan, 1947–2023

010203040194719852023

Source: Alvarez & Vaupel (2023); Human Mortality Database (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for survival ages across the population in Japan is 35.43 years, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, survival ages across the population in Japan peaked at 36.59 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.12 years, in 1947.

That places Japan 10th out of 41 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Survival ages across the population in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Survival ages across the population in Japan, 1947 to 2023.
Year years Change
1947 0.12 years —
1948 0.18 years +50.0%
1949 0.17 years -5.6%
1950 0.2 years +17.6%
1951 0.21 years +5.0%
1952 0.25 years +19.0%
1953 0.26 years +4.0%
1954 0.29 years +11.5%
1955 0.33 years +13.8%
1956 0.33 years +0.0%
1957 0.34 years +3.0%
1958 0.38 years +11.8%
1959 0.42 years +10.5%
1960 0.49 years +16.7%
1961 0.55 years +12.2%
1962 0.62 years +12.7%
1963 0.87 years +40.3%
1964 1.48 years +70.1%
1965 2.06 years +39.2%
1966 3.28 years +59.2%
1967 3.08 years -6.1%
1968 4.29 years +39.3%
1969 5.24 years +22.1%
1970 5.89 years +12.4%
1971 6.9 years +17.1%
1972 7.86 years +13.9%
1973 8.61 years +9.5%
1974 12.27 years +42.5%
1975 14.66 years +19.5%
1976 16.28 years +11.1%
1977 17.15 years +5.3%
1978 17.7 years +3.2%
1979 18.77 years +6.0%
1980 19.33 years +3.0%
1981 19.88 years +2.8%
1982 20.66 years +3.9%
1983 21.09 years +2.1%
1984 21.95 years +4.1%
1985 22.52 years +2.6%
1986 23.08 years +2.5%
1987 23.82 years +3.2%
1988 23.79 years -0.1%
1989 24.28 years +2.1%
1990 24.42 years +0.6%
1991 25.36 years +3.8%
1992 25.03 years -1.3%
1993 25.84 years +3.2%
1994 26.16 years +1.2%
1995 25.46 years -2.7%
1996 27.87 years +9.5%
1997 28.38 years +1.8%
1998 27.33 years -3.7%
1999 28.17 years +3.1%
2000 29.33 years +4.1%
2001 30.04 years +2.4%
2002 30.62 years +1.9%
2003 30.59 years -0.1%
2004 31.16 years +1.9%
2005 30.79 years -1.2%
2006 31.26 years +1.5%
2007 32.05 years +2.5%
2008 31.93 years -0.4%
2009 32.29 years +1.1%
2010 32.49 years +0.6%
2011 30.02 years -7.6%
2012 33.34 years +11.1%
2013 34.24 years +2.7%
2014 34.15 years -0.3%
2015 35.12 years +2.8%
2016 35.75 years +1.8%
2017 36.31 years +1.6%
2018 36.48 years +0.5%
2019 36.59 years +0.3%
2020 36.41 years -0.5%
2021 36.2 years -0.6%
2022 36.11 years -0.2%
2023 35.43 years -1.9%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 35.43 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 33.14 years, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 35.43 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.79 years, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Survival ages across the population in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1964 +70.1% 0.87 years 1.48 years
1966 +59.2% 2.06 years 3.28 years
1948 +50.0% 0.12 years 0.18 years
1974 +42.5% 8.61 years 12.27 years
1963 +40.3% 0.62 years 0.87 years
1968 +39.3% 3.08 years 4.29 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 0.1567 years 0.12 years 0.18 years 3
1950s 0.301 years 0.2 years 0.42 years 10
1960s 2.2 years 0.49 years 5.24 years 10
1970s 12.61 years 5.89 years 18.77 years 10
1980s 22.04 years 19.33 years 24.28 years 10
1990s 26.4 years 24.42 years 28.38 years 10
2000s 31.01 years 29.33 years 32.29 years 10
2010s 34.45 years 30.02 years 36.59 years 10
2020s 36.04 years 35.43 years 36.41 years 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 7 Sweden 37.04 years compare
  2. 8 Germany 36.34 years compare
  3. 9 Netherlands 36.19 years compare
  4. 11 Belgium 35.42 years compare
  5. 12 Norway 34.92 years compare
  6. 12 Slovenia 34.92 years compare

See the full ranking of 41 places →

More population data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is survival ages across the population in Japan?
Survival ages across the population in Japan was 35.43 years in 2023, according to Alvarez & Vaupel (2023); Human Mortality Database (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest survival ages across the population recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 36.59 years in 2019.
What is the lowest survival ages across the population recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.12 years in 1947.
How does Japan rank for survival ages across the population?
Japan ranks 10th out of 41 countries with data for 2023.
Is survival ages across the population rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Alvarez & Vaupel (2023); Human Mortality Database (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Survival ages across the population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Survival ages across the population in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Alvarez & Vaupel (2023); Human Mortality Database (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/survival-ages-across-the-population/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Survival ages across the population
Unit
years
Source
Alvarez & Vaupel (2023); Human Mortality Database (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
41 places, 3,817 data points, 1751–2024
Last refreshed

Age until which the 1st percentile (99% of the population) of the population would survive until, if they experienced the same age-specific death rates throughout their whole lives as the age-specific death rates seen in that particular year.