Japan Is Still the World’s 12th-Largest Country by Population
The World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI) contain total population data for 217 countries and regions. The latest global total is approximately 8.14 billion people. Japan has 123.98 million people, ranking 12th by population.
The largest populations are India (1.45094 billion), China (1.40898 billion), and the United States (340.11 million). The smallest are Tuvalu (9,646 people), Nauru (11,947 people), and Palau (17,695 people), a range of roughly 150,000 times in population size.
In terms of scale, Japan is still among the world’s largest. Population is discussed as a problem not because of its size, but because its composition is changing.
Japan’s Total Fertility Rate Ranks 203rd out of 217
The estimated number of children a woman has over her lifetime—the total fertility rate—is 1.15 in Japan. Ranked from highest to lowest, Japan stands 203rd among 217 countries and regions, just over half the global figure of 2.19.
At the high end are Chad (6.03), Somalia (6.01), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5.98). At the low end are Macao (0.58), South Korea (0.75), and Hong Kong (0.84). All the countries and regions with lower rates than Japan are concentrated in East Asia.
A rate of approximately 2.1 is considered necessary to maintain a population over the long term. The global figure of 2.19 is slightly above this level, while Japan’s is about half as high.
Life Expectancy Ranks 10th Worldwide
While Japan ranks near the bottom globally in births, it ranks near the top in longevity. Life expectancy is 84.04 years, placing Japan 10th among 217 countries and regions. This is more than 10 years longer than the global figure of 73.48 years.
The highest figures are found in Monaco (86.50 years), San Marino (85.82 years), and Hong Kong (85.39 years). The lowest are in Nigeria (54.63 years), Chad (55.24 years), and the Central African Republic (57.67 years), a gap of more than 30 years between the highest and lowest.
The Share Aged 65 and Over Ranks Second Worldwide
Fewer people are born, and people live longer. The result is visible in the age structure. In Japan, 29.78% of the population is aged 65 and over, ranking second among 217 countries and regions. This is nearly three times the global figure of 10.20%.
Monaco ranks first (36.17%), but it is a city-state with a population of just under 40,000, where immigration by wealthy people has a major effect on the demographic composition. Among countries with populations exceeding 100 million, Japan is the only one where nearly 30% of the population is aged 65 and over. Puerto Rico ranks third (24.72%), five percentage points below Japan.
At the low end are Qatar (1.68%), the United Arab Emirates (1.77%), and Zambia (1.95%). In the first two, working-age people who have migrated there for employment make up most of the population; in the latter, the birth rate is high and life expectancy is short. Even when the result is the same—few older people—the reasons are completely different.
Japan’s High Global Ranking for the Crude Death Rate Is a Result of Population Aging
Japan’s number of deaths per 1,000 people—the crude death rate—is 13.3, ranking 209th out of 217 countries and regions when ordered from lowest to highest. This is far above the global figure of 7.55.
At the low end are the United Arab Emirates (0.97 people), Qatar (1.05 people), and Kuwait (1.52 people). At the high end are Monaco (20.14 people), Bulgaria (15.6 people), and Serbia (14.9 people).
The countries appearing here are almost the reverse of those ranked by the share of the population aged 65 and over. Because the crude death rate is strongly affected by age structure, a high figure does not mean that medical care or sanitation is poor. Japan ranking 10th worldwide in life expectancy and 209th in crude death rate is not contradictory. Rather, it is the natural consequence of a population structure with many older people.
What Becomes Visible When the Five Indicators Are Viewed Together
| Indicator | Japan’s figure | Rank (denominator) |
| Share of population aged 65 and over | 29.78% | 2nd (217) |
| Life expectancy | 84.04 years | 10th (217) |
| Total population | 123.98 million people | 12th (217) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.15 | 203rd (217) |
| Crude death rate | 13.3 people/1,000 | 209th (217) |
The top three and bottom two are not separate facts, but two sides of a single trend. As more people live longer and fewer children are born, the share of older people rises, and the number of deaths relative to the total population also increases.
When these four indicators are read as separate rankings in an international comparison, it may appear that a “long-lived country” and a “country with a high death rate” coexist. Once age structure is taken into account, it becomes clear that they are simply measuring the same phenomenon from different angles.
Sources
- Population, total (World Bank World Development Indicators SP.POP.TOTL)
- Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (same source, SP.DYN.TFRT.IN)
- Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (same source, SP.DYN.LE00.IN)
- Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) (same source, SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS)
- Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) (same source, SP.DYN.CDRT.IN)
All figures are based on the latest year available for each indicator (2024).