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Rural population — all countries

Rural population — Japan

Rural population in Japan in 2025 — 9,499,060 people. Ranked 59 in the world out of 217. Since 1960, the indicator has fallen by 72.3%.

2025 9.5M people −1.89% vs 2024
World rank 59of 217
Period maximum 34.25M people1960
Period minimum 9.5M people2025

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Rural population — Japan, 1960–2025010M20M30M40M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 34,249,304 people1962: 33,004,591 people1964: 31,958,054 people1966: 30,922,971 people1968: 29,984,073 people1970: 29,095,379 people1972: 28,213,049 people1974: 27,088,155 people1976: 27,097,747 people1978: 27,491,256 people1980: 27,832,309 people1982: 28,023,489 people1984: 28,130,196 people1986: 28,167,529 people1988: 28,104,547 people1990: 27,979,599 people1992: 27,857,758 people1994: 27,683,945 people1996: 27,493,744 people1998: 27,395,128 people2000: 27,128,318 people2002: 24,791,894 people2004: 19,967,697 people2006: 16,434,238 people2008: 13,712,786 people2010: 12,009,305 people2012: 11,452,753 people2014: 11,130,420 people2016: 10,859,755 people2018: 10,604,276 people2020: 10,377,401 people2022: 10,037,960 people2024: 9,682,263 people2025: 9,499,060 people
Change over the period: −24.75M (−72.26%) Average annual rate: -1.95 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Japan

Japan 9.5M people
World 3.46B people
East Asia & Pacific 842M people
Eastern Asia computed 503M people
High-income countries computed 274M people
Rural population — Japan, by year Japan All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 9.5M −183,203 −1.89%
2024 9.68M −176,106 −1.79%
2023 9.86M −179,591 −1.79%
2022 10.04M −174,794 −1.71%
2021 10.21M −164,647 −1.59%
2020 10.38M −112,344 −1.07%
2019 10.49M −114,531 −1.08%
2018 10.6M −125,059 −1.17%
2017 10.73M −130,420 −1.2%
2016 10.86M −133,791 −1.22%
2015 10.99M −136,874 −1.23%
2014 11.13M −146,347 −1.3%
2013 11.28M −175,986 −1.54%
2012 11.45M −227,137 −1.94%
2011 11.68M −329,415 −2.74%
2010 12.01M −650,554 −5.14%
2009 12.66M −1.05M −7.68%
2008 13.71M −1.3M −8.67%
2007 15.01M −1.42M −8.64%
2006 16.43M −1.51M −8.41%
2005 17.94M −2.02M −10.14%
2004 19.97M −2.48M −11.06%
2003 22.45M −2.34M −9.44%
2002 24.79M −1.71M −6.45%
2001 26.5M −627,603 −2.31%
2000 27.13M −162,762 −0.6%
1999 27.29M −104,048 −0.38%
1998 27.4M −45,098 −0.16%
1997 27.44M −53,518 −0.19%
1996 27.49M −86,151 −0.31%
1995 27.58M −104,050 −0.38%
1994 27.68M −92,969 −0.33%
1993 27.78M −80,844 −0.29%
1992 27.86M −65,776 −0.24%
1991 27.92M −56,065 −0.2%
1990 27.98M −72,270 −0.26%
1989 28.05M −52,678 −0.19%
1988 28.1M −44,204 −0.16%
1987 28.15M −18,778 −0.07%
1986 28.17M +4,127 +0.01%
1985 28.16M +33,206 +0.12%
1984 28.13M +42,076 +0.15%
1983 28.09M +64,631 +0.23%
1982 28.02M +79,381 +0.28%
1981 27.94M +111,799 +0.4%
1980 27.83M +154,482 +0.56%
1979 27.68M +186,571 +0.68%
1978 27.49M +199,941 +0.73%
1977 27.29M +193,568 +0.71%
1976 27.1M +154,102 +0.57%
1975 26.94M −144,510 −0.53%
1974 27.09M −489,323 −1.77%
1973 27.58M −635,571 −2.25%
1972 28.21M −632,901 −2.19%
1971 28.85M −249,429 −0.86%
1970 29.1M −453,198 −1.53%
1969 29.55M −435,496 −1.45%
1968 29.98M −451,378 −1.48%
1967 30.44M −487,520 −1.58%
1966 30.92M −541,336 −1.72%
1965 31.46M −493,747 −1.54%
1964 31.96M −509,168 −1.57%
1963 32.47M −537,369 −1.63%
1962 33M −598,975 −1.78%
1961 33.6M −645,738 −1.89%
1960 34.25M — —

Eastern Asia, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

CN China 473M KR South Korea 9.73M KP North Korea 9.52M JP Japan 9.5M MN Mongolia 1.03M HK Hong Kong 0 MO Macao 0
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The population living outside urban settlements. In the catalog this quantity was present only as a share, while the absolute number shows what the share does not: the world's rural population stopped growing only in the 2020s and still exceeds three billion people, even though the share has been falling for half a century. Each country defines a city itself, so cross-country comparisons of this series call for caution.

Important: It is computed as the difference between total and urban population, and the criterion for a city is national: in some places it is a settlement of two thousand residents, in others twenty thousand. Comparing the trend within a country is more reliable than comparing countries with each other.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.

Other indicators for Japan

Demography Rural population share

The part of residents living outside cities — the other side of urbanization.

Japan by year Demography Urban population

The absolute number of city dwellers by country.

Japan by year Demography Population

Resident population of every country as of mid-year — series from 1960 onward.

Japan by year Labor Employment in agriculture

The share of workers employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Japan by year
All indicators for Japan