The number of Japanese citizens living in Japan fell by 917,000 in 2025 compared with the previous year, declining to 119,736,483, according to figures released by the Japanese government.
Statistics published by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that the annual decrease was the largest recorded since official population data began in 1968.
The decline marked the first time in 42 years that the number of Japanese citizens in the East Asian country dropped below 120 million.
The 917,000-person decline represented the biggest yearly decrease ever recorded in official statistics. Government data showed that Japan had approximately 670,000 births in 2025, while about 1.6 million deaths were reported during the same period.
Foreign resident population rises
