Japan’s population shrinks by more than 3 million people in 5 years
Japan's total population, including foreign residents, was 122,972,528 as of Oct. 1, 2025, shrinking by 3,173,571, or 2.5 pct, from five years before, census data released by the internal affairs ministry showed Tuesday, JIJI PRESS reports.
This was the third consecutive decline in the quinquennial survey that dates back to 1920.
The number of Japanese nationals fell 3.5 pct to 119,131,935, following a 1.4 pct decline in the previous 2020 census, while that of foreign residents climbed 39.8 pct to a record high of 3,840,039.
Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of foreign residents, at 24 pct, followed by Vietnamese, at 15.9 pct, and South and North Koreans, at 10.4 pct. In the previous survey, South and North Koreans accounted for 15.8 pct, exceeding the 13.9 pct share of Vietnamese residents.
The total population comprised 59,772,092 men and 63,200,436 women. The percentage of people aged 65 and older rose from 28.5 pct to 29.4 pct.
Earlier, it was reported that Japan’s elderly population had reached record high of 30%.
