Japan's population fell by 3.17 million (−2.5%) in the five years to the 2025 census. Tokyo was the only prefecture to grow. Akita (−8.1%) and Aomori (−8.0%) shrank fastest, and 7 prefectures that grew in 2015–20 are now shrinking: Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Shiga, Fukuoka, Okinawa. Where the working population shrinks, hiring gets harder.
Population change by prefecture
Population change, 2020–2025
- −8% or more
- −6 to −8%
- −4 to −6%
- −2 to −4%
- 0 to −2%
- 0 to +1%
- +1% or more
| Prefecture | Population 2025 | Change 2020–25 | % 2020–25 | % 2015–20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 14,236,627 | +189,029 | +1.3% | +3.9% |
| Okinawa | 1,466,548 | −932 | −0.1% | +2.4% |
| Chiba | 6,257,225 | −27,255 | −0.4% | +1.0% |
| Kanagawa | 9,193,922 | −43,411 | −0.5% | +1.2% |
| Saitama | 7,287,325 | −57,440 | −0.8% | +1.1% |
| Osaka | 8,759,312 | −78,373 | −0.9% | −0.0% |
| Fukuoka | 5,077,785 | −57,429 | −1.1% | +0.7% |
| Aichi | 7,448,043 | −94,372 | −1.3% | +0.8% |
| Shiga | 1,392,008 | −21,602 | −1.5% | +0.0% |
| Ibaraki | 2,789,856 | −77,153 | −2.7% | −1.7% |
| Hyogo | 5,317,792 | −147,210 | −2.7% | −1.3% |
| Kyoto | 2,500,173 | −77,914 | −3.0% | −1.2% |
| Miyagi | 2,225,414 | −76,582 | −3.3% | −1.4% |
| Kumamoto | 1,677,302 | −60,999 | −3.5% | −2.7% |
| Tochigi | 1,863,329 | −69,817 | −3.6% | −2.1% |
| Gunma | 1,865,934 | −73,176 | −3.8% | −1.7% |
| Yamanashi | 779,276 | −30,698 | −3.8% | −3.0% |
| Saga | 780,675 | −30,767 | −3.8% | −2.6% |
| Ishikawa | 1,086,596 | −45,930 | −4.1% | −1.9% |
| Hiroshima | 2,682,786 | −116,916 | −4.2% | −1.6% |
| Oita | 1,076,353 | −47,499 | −4.2% | −3.6% |
| Nara | 1,268,181 | −56,292 | −4.3% | −2.9% |
| Okayama | 1,807,160 | −81,272 | −4.3% | −1.7% |
| Mie | 1,693,225 | −77,029 | −4.4% | −2.5% |
| Gifu | 1,889,576 | −89,166 | −4.5% | −2.6% |
| Nagano | 1,953,866 | −94,145 | −4.6% | −2.4% |
| Shizuoka | 3,465,667 | −167,535 | −4.6% | −1.8% |
| Kagawa | 906,828 | −43,416 | −4.6% | −2.7% |
| Hokkaido | 4,980,272 | −244,342 | −4.7% | −2.9% |
| Kagoshima | 1,511,783 | −76,473 | −4.8% | −3.6% |
| Miyazaki | 1,017,628 | −51,948 | −4.9% | −3.1% |
| Fukui | 728,588 | −38,275 | −5.0% | −2.5% |
| Toyama | 982,147 | −52,667 | −5.1% | −3.0% |
| Tottori | 523,073 | −30,334 | −5.5% | −3.5% |
| Ehime | 1,259,907 | −74,934 | −5.6% | −3.6% |
| Yamaguchi | 1,262,770 | −79,289 | −5.9% | −4.5% |
| Niigata | 2,067,144 | −134,128 | −6.1% | −4.5% |
| Nagasaki | 1,232,040 | −80,277 | −6.1% | −4.7% |
| Tokushima | 674,790 | −44,769 | −6.2% | −4.8% |
| Shimane | 628,887 | −42,239 | −6.3% | −3.3% |
| Wakayama | 863,757 | −58,827 | −6.4% | −4.3% |
| Fukushima | 1,710,242 | −122,910 | −6.7% | −4.2% |
| Kochi | 642,836 | −48,691 | −7.0% | −5.0% |
| Iwate | 1,124,652 | −85,882 | −7.1% | −5.4% |
| Yamagata | 992,297 | −75,730 | −7.1% | −5.0% |
| Aomori | 1,139,461 | −98,523 | −8.0% | −5.4% |
| Akita | 881,470 | −78,032 | −8.1% | −6.2% |
2025 Population Census, Basic Complete Tabulation on Population and Households (Statistics Bureau of Japan), Table I-2-1. Population on 1 October of each census year. Change rates are the official figures, calculated on the later census's boundaries. Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Compiled and translated by The Hardest Market.
Related: Where hiring is hardest: job-to-applicant ratio by prefecture · Minimum wage · Foreign workers · Japan HR statistics