Rural population in Japan
Japan: Rural population was 7.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Japan stood at 7.7%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Japan peaked at 36.7% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2025.
Japan ranks 192nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 36.7% | — |
| 1961 | 35.7% | -2.8% |
| 1962 | 34.8% | -2.7% |
| 1963 | 33.9% | -2.6% |
| 1964 | 33.0% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 32.1% | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 31.3% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 30.5% | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 29.7% | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 28.9% | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 28.1% | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 27.3% | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 26.3% | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 25.4% | -3.6% |
| 1974 | 24.6% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 24.1% | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 24.0% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 24.0% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 23.9% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 23.9% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 23.8% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 23.7% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 23.7% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 23.5% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 23.4% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 23.3% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 23.2% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 23.1% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 22.9% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 22.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 22.7% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 22.5% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 22.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 22.3% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 22.1% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 22.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 21.9% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 21.8% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 21.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 21.6% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 21.4% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 20.8% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 19.5% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 17.6% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 14.0% | -10.1% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | -8.5% |
| 2007 | 11.7% | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 10.7% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 9.0% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 8.7% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 8.4% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 7.9% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 7.8% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 7.7% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.7% | 28.9% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.2% | 23.9% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.3% | 22.8% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.1% | 21.6% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.4% | 9.9% | 21.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7% | 8.3% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.7% | 8.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Japan?
- Rural population in Japan was 7.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 36.7% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for rural population?
- Japan ranks 192nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.