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.
While the number of Japanese citizens continued to decline, the number of foreign residents in Japan increased.
The population of foreign nationals with residency status rose by 354,000 from the previous year, reaching 4,031,159, according to government figures.
Including foreign residents, Japan’s total population stood at 123,767,642 in 2025.
The population decline has been attributed largely to Japan’s aging society and falling birth rate. The demographic shift remains one of the country’s major long-term challenges, affecting the labor market, social services and economic growth.
