In 1800, the population of Japan was just over 30 million, a figure which would grow by just two million in the first half of the 19th century. However, with the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of the emperor in the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan would begin transforming from an isolated feudal island, to a modernized empire built on Western models. The Meiji period would see a rapid rise in the population of Japan, as industrialization and advancements in healthcare lead to a significant reduction in child mortality rates, while the creation overseas colonies would lead to a strong economic boom. However, this growth would slow beginning in 1937, as Japan entered a prolonged war with the Republic of China, which later grew into a major theater of the Second World War. The war was eventually brought to Japan's home front, with the escalation of Allied air raids on Japanese urban centers from 1944 onwards (Tokyo was the most-bombed city of the Second World War). By the war's end in 1945 and the subsequent occupation of the island by the Allied military, Japan had suffered over two and a half million military fatalities, and over one million civilian deaths.
The population figures of Japan were quick to recover, as the post-war “economic miracle” would see an unprecedented expansion of the Japanese economy, and would lead to the country becoming one of the first fully industrialized nations in East Asia. As living standards rose, the population of Japan would increase from 77 million in 1945, to over 127 million by the end of the century. However, growth would begin to slow in the late 1980s, as birth rates and migration rates fell, and Japan eventually grew to have one of the oldest populations in the world. The population would peak in 2008 at just over 128 million, but has consistently fallen each year since then, as the fertility rate of the country remains below replacement level (despite government initiatives to counter this) and the country's immigrant population remains relatively stable. The population of Japan is expected to continue its decline in the coming years, and in 2020, it is estimated that approximately 126 million people inhabit the island country.
Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020
(in millions)
Characteristic
Population in millions
2020
126.48
2019
126.86
2018
127.2
2017
127.5
2016
127.76
2015
127.99
2014
128.17
2013
128.31
2012
128.42
2011
128.5
2010
128.54
2009
128.56
2008
128.54
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Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Population in millions18001804180818121816182018241828183218361840184418481852185618601864186818721876188018841888189218961900190419081912191619201924192819321936194019441948195219561960196419681972197619801984198819921996200020042008201220162020
20406080100120140
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Gapminder, & United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (August 31, 2019). Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/
Gapminder, und United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). "Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in millions)." Chart. August 31, 2019. Statista. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/
Gapminder, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (2019). Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/
Gapminder, and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). "Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/
Gapminder & United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/ (last visited February 19, 2025)
Population of Japan from 1800 to 2020 (in millions) [Graph], Gapminder, & United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066956/population-japan-historical/
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