[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The population decline in Japan, a "population powerhouse," has become evident. Since the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan first conducted the related survey in 1920, the population turned to a decline for the first time in the previous survey in 2015, and has shown a decreasing trend for two consecutive times. According to the United Nations' world population rankings, Japan has fallen out of the top 10 for the first time.
According to the preliminary population figures for 2020 announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 25th, as of October 1, 2020, the total population of Japan, including foreigners, was counted at 126,226,568.
Japan's national population census is conducted every five years, and this figure represents a 0.7% (868,177 people) decrease compared to the previous survey in 2015.
Following the first decline in 2015 since the initial survey in 1920, the population decline trend has continued for two consecutive times.
According to the United Nations' world population rankings, Japan dropped one rank to 11th place. Mexico took the 10th place instead of Japan. This is the first time since 1950 that Japan has fallen out of the top 10 in terms of population size.
Among the total population, there are 62,360,014 males and 64,866,554 females.
By region, Tokyo was identified as having the highest population growth rate. Tokyo exceeded 14 million for the first time, with a population of 14,064,696. On the other hand, Akita Prefecture was noted as having the highest population decline rate.
The number of households was 55,719,562, an increase of 4.2% compared to the previous survey. This is interpreted as being influenced by the continuous increase in single-person households. The average number of people per household was surveyed at 2.27.
This survey was conducted online due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the provisional figures originally scheduled for February were postponed until June. The finalized figures, including detailed information, are expected to be announced in November.
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