Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in Japan

Japan: Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita was 92.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
92.3%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
33rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
92.3%
in 2025
All-time low
37.0%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in Japan, 1950–2025

020406080100195019872025

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Japan is 92.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Japan peaked at 92.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.0%, in 1950.

Japan ranks 33rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 52.2% 37.0% 62.3% 10
1960s 67.3% 63.3% 71.1% 10
1970s 74.8% 71.9% 76.1% 10
1980s 76.7% 76.2% 77.2% 10
1990s 77.9% 77.3% 78.4% 10
2000s 84.6% 78.6% 90.1% 10
2010s 91.3% 90.6% 91.7% 10
2020s 92.0% 91.8% 92.3% 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 30 Iceland 94.2% compare
  2. 31 Jordan 93.2% compare
  3. 32 Argentina 92.4% compare
  4. 34 Northern Mariana Islands 92.2% compare
  5. 35 Gabon 92.1% compare
  6. 36 Israel 91.6% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Japan?
Share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Japan was 92.3% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 92.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 37.0% in 1950.
How does Japan rank for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita?
Japan ranks 33rd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.