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Japan's largest cities, 1975 to 2050

Tokyo is Japan's largest city at about 33.4 million in 2025, more than 2.5 times Osaka's 13.0 million, and is projected to fall to 30.7 million by 2050.

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What the data shows

  • In 2025, Tokyo ranks #1 with 33.4M, ahead of Osaka (13.0M) and Nagoya (7.1M).
  • By 2050, on the UN's projections, Tokyo is projected to rank #1 with 30.7M, ahead of Osaka (10.4M) and Nagoya (6.3M).
  • Tokyo holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.
  • Biggest climber: Sendai, from #9 in 1975 to #6 in 2050.

About this chart

Tokyo kept growing for decades while Japan as a whole began to shrink. The UN estimates about 24.3 million in 1975, a peak of about 33.7 million in 2020 and about 33.4 million in 2025. Osaka tells the opposite story: about 14.4 million in 1975, a high of 15.1 million in 1995, and 13.0 million in 2025. Nagoya is third at about 7.15 million, then the list drops sharply to Fukuoka at 2.23 million.

Looking ahead, the UN projects every major Japanese city to shrink. Tokyo is projected at about 30.7 million by 2050, Osaka at about 10.4 million and Nagoya at about 6.3 million. These are Degree of Urbanization figures, which count contiguous dense areas and so differ from city-proper or prefecture counts. Estimates run through 2025, and 2030 to 2050 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.

Japan's largest cities, Population in millions, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date🇯🇵 Tokyo🇯🇵 Osaka🇯🇵 Nagoya🇯🇵 Fukuoka🇯🇵 Sapporo🇯🇵 Sendai🇯🇵 Kitakyushu🇯🇵 Hiroshima🇯🇵 Naha🇯🇵 Nara
197524.3M14.4M5.4M1.9M1.5M0.8M1.1M1.2M0.7M1.3M
198025.9M14.7M5.8M1.9M1.7M0.9M1.1M1.2M0.8M1.3M
198527.2M14.8M5.9M2.0M1.8M0.9M1.1M1.3M0.8M1.3M
199028.6M15.0M6.2M2.1M1.9M1.1M1.2M1.3M0.8M1.3M
199529.2M15.1M6.6M2.2M2.0M1.1M1.2M1.3M0.9M1.3M
200030.3M14.5M6.5M2.2M2.0M1.1M1.2M1.3M0.9M1.2M
200531.4M14.2M6.7M2.2M2.0M1.2M1.2M1.3M1.0M1.2M
201032.6M14.2M6.8M2.2M2.0M1.2M1.2M1.3M1.0M1.2M
201533.1M13.8M7.0M2.3M2.0M1.2M1.2M1.2M1.0M1.1M
202033.7M13.5M7.3M2.3M2.0M1.3M1.2M1.2M1.1M1.0M
202533.4M13.0M7.1M2.2M2.0M1.3M1.2M1.2M1.1M1.0M
203033.0M12.4M7.0M2.2M1.9M1.2M1.2M1.1M1.1M0.9M
203532.5M11.9M6.8M2.1M1.9M1.2M1.1M1.1M1.1M0.9M
204031.9M11.4M6.7M2.1M1.8M1.2M1.1M1.1M1.0M0.8M
204531.3M10.9M6.5M2.0M1.8M1.1M1.1M1.0M1.0M0.8M
205030.7M10.4M6.3M1.9M1.8M1.1M1.0M1.0M1.0M0.8M

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in Japan?

In 2025, Tokyo ranks #1 with 33.4M, followed by Osaka (13.0M) and Nagoya (7.1M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).

What is the largest city in Japan?

Tokyo is the largest city in Japan in 2025, with about 33.4 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Osaka is second at about 13.0 million and Nagoya third at about 7.15 million.

Why is Tokyo's population so much higher here than the city figure?

It depends on the definition. This ranking uses the UN's contiguous dense urban area, which gives about 33.4 million for 2025. A count for the city proper or the metropolitan government covers a different area and gives a different number, so the two should not be compared directly.

Is Tokyo's population shrinking?

Slightly, according to the UN. Tokyo peaked at about 33.7 million in 2020 and is estimated at about 33.4 million in 2025. The UN projects a decline to about 30.7 million by 2050, a projection and not a certainty.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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