Saitama: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Saitama: Taxable income for municipal resident tax in Saitama averaged 4.47 million yen per taxpayer in fiscal 2024, 23rd highest of 262 cities and above the national average of 3,933.7 thousand yen per taxpayer. It is income before deductions, so it is not take-home pay.
• Health in Saitama: Saitama had 35 general hospitals (hospitals other than psychiatric ones) in 2023, or 2.64 per 100,000 residents, 25th lowest of 262 cities, below the national figure (5.60).
• Education in Saitama: Saitama had 108 primary schools with 70,833 pupils and 3,892 full-time teachers in May 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in Saitama: 36.3% of private households in Saitama were one-person households at the 2020 census (211,174), 100th highest of 262 cities, below the national figure (38.0%).
• Government budget and revenue in Saitama: The municipal government of Saitama took in 666.7 billion yen in fiscal 2022 (final accounts), 503,508 yen per resident, 82nd highest of 262 cities.

Notes from the UN table: Excluding diplomatic personnel outside the country and foreign military and civilian personnel and their dependants stationed in the area. For the 2020 census, urban areas are “Densely Inhabited Districts”, defined as areas within a municipality that is composed of a group of contiguous Basic Unit Blocks, each of which has a population density of 4,000 inhabitants or more per square kilometer and whose total population exceeds 5,000 as of 1 October 2020. The detailed methodological explanation is available at https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/chiri/did/1-1.html Excluding diplomatic personnel outside the country and foreign military and civilian personnel and their dependants stationed in the area. For the 2020 census, urban areas are “Densely Inhabited Districts”, defined as areas within a municipality that is composed of a group of contiguous Basic Unit Blocks, each of which has a population density of 4,000 inhabitants or more per square kilometer and whose total population exceeds 5,000 as of 1 October 2020. The detailed methodological explanation is available at https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/chiri/did/1-1.html Excluding diplomatic personnel outside the country and foreign military and civilian personnel and their dependants stationed in the area. For the 2020 census, urban areas are “Densely Inhabited Districts”, defined as areas within a municipality that is composed of a group of contiguous Basic Unit Blocks, each of which has a population density of 4,000 inhabitants or more per square kilometer and whose total population exceeds 5,000 as of 1 October 2020. The detailed methodological explanation is available at https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/chiri/did/1-1.html Land areas are based on the "Municipalities Area Statistics of Japan, 2015" published by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Who runs Saitama?

In Japan, cities and towns are run by municipalities: Mayor and municipal assembly both directly elected for four years. Primary and lower secondary schools, welfare, waste, water, residents' registers, disaster response. Large 'designated cities' (20) take on prefectural tasks and are divided into administrative wards whose heads are officials, not elected.

How local power works in Japan

Cities of a similar size in Japan

• Tokyo 9,733,276
• Yokohama 3,777,491
• Osaka 2,752,412
• Nagoya 2,332,176
• Sapporo 1,973,395
• Fukuoka 1,612,392
• Kawasaki 1,538,262
• Kobe 1,525,152
• Kyoto 1,463,723
• Hiroshima 1,200,754
• Sendai 1,096,704
• Chiba 974,951
• Kitakyushu 939,029
• Sakai 826,161
• Hamamatsu 790,718
• Niigata 789,275

Up a level: all cities in Japan · Japan · government and power

Sources

• Statistics Bureau of Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Statistical Observations of Municipalities 2026 (social and demographic statistics, city, ward, town and village data), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2cb3d8c51aa1…)
• Statistics Bureau of Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Statistical Observations of Prefectures 2026 (national figures, "All Japan" row), read 28 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b69774a5f40c…)

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