Imagine a nation where the average person is nearly 50 years old, where births are less than half the number of deaths, and where nearly a third of the population is over 65—these aren't dystopian predictions, but today's demographic realities in Japan, a global powerhouse facing a profound population paradox.
Key Takeaways
- Japan's total population as of October 1, 2023, stands at 124,352,000 people, reflecting a 0.81% decline from the previous year.
- The median age in Japan is 49.5 years as of 2023, one of the highest in the world.
- Japan's population density is 333 people per square kilometer as of 2023.
- Japan's GDP nominal in 2023 was 4.21 trillion USD, making it the world's 4th largest economy.
- GDP per capita in Japan was 33,834 USD in 2023.
- GDP growth rate was 1.9% in 2023.
- Japan's land area is 377,975 square kilometers.
- Coastline length is 29,751 kilometers.
- Highest point is Mount Fuji at 3,776 meters.
- Life expectancy at birth overall is 84.6 years as of 2023.
- Infant mortality rate is 1.8 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- Physicians density: 2.59 per 1,000 people as of 2021.
- R&D expenditure as % of GDP: 3.3% in 2022.
- Number of patents granted: 289,700 resident filings in 2022.
- Internet users: 94.7% of population as of 2023.
Japan's aging, shrinking population faces profound economic and demographic challenges.
Demographics
- Japan's total population as of October 1, 2023, stands at 124,352,000 people, reflecting a 0.81% decline from the previous year.
- The median age in Japan is 49.5 years as of 2023, one of the highest in the world.
- Japan's population density is 333 people per square kilometer as of 2023.
- As of 2022, 29.9% of Japan's population is aged 65 or older.
- Japan's total fertility rate in 2022 was 1.26 children per woman.
- Urban population in Japan accounts for 91.7% of the total population in 2023.
- Net migration rate for Japan in 2023 is -0.22 migrant(s) per 1,000 population.
- Life expectancy at birth for males in Japan is 81.5 years as of 2023.
- Life expectancy at birth for females in Japan is 87.6 years as of 2023.
- Japan's sex ratio at birth is 1.06 males per female as of 2023.
- The age dependency ratio in Japan is 68.9% as of 2023.
- Japan's population growth rate is -0.53% annually as of 2023.
- Number of births in Japan in 2022 was 770,747.
- Number of deaths in Japan in 2022 was 1,590,503.
- Infant mortality rate is 1.9 deaths per 1,000 live births as of 2023.
- 28.4% of Japan's population lives in Tokyo prefecture and surrounding areas as of 2023.
- Ethnic Japanese make up 97.9% of the population as of 2023.
- Foreign residents in Japan number 2,887,116 as of 2023.
- The youth population (0-14 years) is 11.6% as of 2023.
- Working-age population (15-64) is 59.4% as of 2023.
- Elderly population (65+) is 29.1% as of 2023.
- Average household size in Japan is 2.25 persons as of 2022.
- Single-person households account for 38.2% as of 2022.
- Marriage rate in 2022 was 4.1 per 1,000 population.
- Divorce rate in 2022 was 1.57 per 1,000 population.
- Population of Tokyo metropolis is 14,056,196 as of 2023.
- Osaka prefecture population is 8,778,000 as of 2023.
- Nagoya city population is 2,327,557 as of 2023.
- Japan's overseas Japanese population is about 1.3 million as of 2023.
- Hiroshima prefecture population is 2,727,000 as of 2023.
Demographics Interpretation
Japan stands as a nation of serene, superannuated city-dwellers, where the streets are densely packed yet the cradles are nearly empty, creating a society that is living impressively long while gently fading away.
Economy
- Japan's GDP nominal in 2023 was 4.21 trillion USD, making it the world's 4th largest economy.
- GDP per capita in Japan was 33,834 USD in 2023.
- GDP growth rate was 1.9% in 2023.
- Unemployment rate in Japan was 2.6% in 2023.
- Public debt to GDP ratio is 255% as of 2023.
- Inflation rate (CPI) was 3.2% in 2023.
- Exports of goods and services were 18.9% of GDP in 2022.
- Imports of goods and services were 19.4% of GDP in 2022.
- Current account balance was 3.5% of GDP in 2023.
- Corporate tax rate in Japan is 30.62% as of 2023.
- Labor force participation rate is 62.4% as of 2023.
- Average annual wages are 4,550,000 JPY (about 30,000 USD) as of 2022.
- Manufacturing sector contributes 20.8% to GDP in 2022.
- Services sector contributes 69.9% to GDP in 2022.
- Agriculture sector contributes 1.1% to GDP in 2022.
- Stock market capitalization is 6.8 trillion USD as of 2023.
- Foreign direct investment inflow was 38.7 billion USD in 2022.
- Tourism revenue was 4.8 trillion JPY in 2023.
- Automobile exports value was 17.1 trillion JPY in 2023.
- Semiconductor exports were 2.5 trillion JPY in 2023.
- Yen exchange rate averaged 140.5 per USD in 2023.
- Household saving rate is 5.1% as of 2023.
- Bank lending rate is 0.5% as of 2023.
- Government budget balance is -5.2% of GDP in 2023.
- Energy import dependency is 90.9% as of 2022.
- Patent applications filed: 289,700 in 2022.
- Nikkei 225 average closing index was 33,464 in 2023.
- Total exports value: 100.2 trillion JPY in FY2023.
- Total imports value: 118.5 trillion JPY in FY2023.
Economy Interpretation
Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy, operates like a masterful but deeply indebted innovator, where everyone has a job, manufacturing still hums, and corporate taxes fund a government that spends far more than it earns, all while relying on nearly everyone else for its energy.
Geography and Environment
- Japan's land area is 377,975 square kilometers.
- Coastline length is 29,751 kilometers.
- Highest point is Mount Fuji at 3,776 meters.
- Lowest point is Hachiro-gata -4 meters.
- Arable land is 11.6% of total land area as of 2021.
- Forest area covers 68.5% of land as of 2020.
- Annual precipitation average is 1,668 mm.
- Average annual temperature is 11.0°C nationwide.
- Number of active volcanoes: 111.
- Earthquake frequency: over 1,500 perceptible annually.
- Typhoons affecting Japan: average 3 per year.
- Renewable energy share in electricity: 22.7% in 2022.
- CO2 emissions: 1,056 million metric tons in 2022.
- Protected areas cover 29.9% of land territory as of 2022.
- Freshwater withdrawal: 79 billion cubic meters per year.
- Major rivers: Shinano River 367 km long.
- Largest lake: Lake Biwa 670 km².
- Island count: over 6,800 islands.
- Sea area under national jurisdiction: 4.47 million km².
- Air pollution PM2.5 concentration: 10.5 µg/m³ in 2022.
- Forest carbon stock: 2.6 billion metric tons in 2020.
- Endangered species: 2,391 as of 2023.
- Annual deforestation rate: -0.02% from 2015-2020.
- Tsunami-prone coastline: 40% of total.
- Geothermal power potential: 23,000 MW.
- Wind power installed capacity: 5.1 GW as of 2023.
- Solar PV installed capacity: 98 GW as of 2023.
- Hokkaido island area: 83,424 km².
- Honshu island area: 227,960 km².
- Kyushu island area: 36,782 km².
- Shikoku island area: 18,803 km².
- Okinawa prefecture area: 2,281 km².
Geography and Environment Interpretation
Japan is a nation of dramatic extremes and resilient contrasts, where ancient forests and volatile geology coexist with a densely packed society that is precariously perched on a breathtakingly beautiful, yet alarmingly active, slice of the planet.
Health and Education
- Life expectancy at birth overall is 84.6 years as of 2023.
- Infant mortality rate is 1.8 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- Physicians density: 2.59 per 1,000 people as of 2021.
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people: 13.1 as of 2021.
- Health expenditure as % of GDP: 11.5% in 2022.
- Obesity rate (BMI>30) among adults: 4.3% as of 2022.
- Suicide rate: 14.1 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Cancer incidence rate: 287.2 per 100,000 in 2022.
- COVID-19 vaccination rate: 80.4% fully vaccinated as of 2023.
- Tobacco use among adults: 16.7% as of 2022.
- PISA mathematics score average: 536 in 2022.
- PISA reading score average: 516 in 2022.
- PISA science score average: 547 in 2022.
- Tertiary education attainment (25-34 years): 63.4% as of 2022.
- Education expenditure as % of GDP: 3.5% in 2021.
- Student-teacher ratio primary: 16.9 as of 2021.
- Literacy rate adult: 99% as of 2023.
- Government expenditure on education: 3.6% of GDP in 2022.
- Mental health disorders prevalence: 5.3% as of 2022.
- Diabetes prevalence among adults: 7.9% in 2022.
- Vaccination coverage DTP3: 97% in 2022.
- Average years of schooling: 12.8 years as of 2023.
- School enrollment secondary (% gross): 98.8% in 2021.
- Mean years of schooling: 12.7 years for adults 25+.
- HIV prevalence: <0.1% as of 2022.
- Maternal mortality ratio: 4 per 100,000 live births.
- Under-5 mortality rate: 2.1 per 1,000 live births.
- Access to improved sanitation: 100% as of 2022.
- Access to improved drinking water: 100% as of 2022.
Health and Education Interpretation
Japan's exceptional longevity, low infant mortality, and stellar education scores paint a picture of a society meticulously engineered for a long and learned life, yet its comparatively low health spending, high suicide rate, and sparse physicians hint at a system achieving remarkable efficiency but perhaps straining under its own quiet pressures.
Technology and Infrastructure
- R&D expenditure as % of GDP: 3.3% in 2022.
- Number of patents granted: 289,700 resident filings in 2022.
- Internet users: 94.7% of population as of 2023.
- Mobile cellular subscriptions: 153 per 100 people in 2023.
- Broadband subscriptions: 33.5 per 100 people in 2023.
- Shinkansen high-speed rail network: 3,041 km as of 2023.
- Total railway track length: 27,311 km in 2022.
- Paved road length: 1,218,772 km as of 2022.
- Vehicle ownership: 595 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- Air transport passengers carried: 179 million in 2023.
- Robot density in manufacturing: 399 per 10,000 employees in 2022.
- 5G base stations: over 70,000 as of 2023.
- Semiconductor production value: 15.6 trillion JPY in 2023.
- EV sales share: 2.2% in 2023.
- Nuclear power plants operational: 10 reactors as of 2023.
- Cultural heritage sites UNESCO: 25 as of 2023.
- Annual inbound tourists: 25 million in 2023.
- Traditional crafts certified: 241 as of 2023.
- Anime industry market size: 2.9 trillion JPY in 2023.
- Sumo wrestlers professional: about 700 active as of 2023.
- Tea production: 83,000 tons green tea in 2022.
- Sake production: 360,000 kiloliters in 2022.
- Nobel laureates from Japan: 29 as of 2023.
- Olympic medals all-time: 497 as of 2023.
- Haneda Airport passengers: 85 million in 2023.
- Narita Airport passengers: 38 million in 2023.
Technology and Infrastructure Interpretation
Japan, a nation that diligently files nearly 300,000 patents and invests heavily in robots, 5G, and semiconductors, still masterfully reserves bandwidth in its national soul for perfecting a cup of tea, a barrel of sake, and a centuries-old throw in the sumo ring.
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