Tokyo: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Tokyo: Taxable income for municipal resident tax in Tokyo's 23 special wards averaged 5.84 million yen per taxpayer in fiscal 2024, 3rd 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 Tokyo: Tokyo's 23 special wards had 410 general hospitals (hospitals other than psychiatric ones) in 2023, or 4.21 per 100,000 residents, 100th lowest of 262 cities, below the national figure (5.60).
• Education in Tokyo: Tokyo's 23 special wards had 848 primary schools with 410,306 pupils and 23,882 full-time teachers in May 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in Tokyo: 53.5% of private households in Tokyo's 23 special wards were one-person households at the 2020 census (2,786,593), 2nd highest of 262 cities, above the national figure (38.0%).

Notes from the UN table: Excluding diplomatic personnel outside the country and foreign military and civilian personnel and their dependants stationed in the area. Data for Tokyo refer to 23 ku (wards) of Tokyo. 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. Data for Tokyo refer to 23 ku (wards) of Tokyo. 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. Data for Tokyo refer to 23 ku (wards) of Tokyo. 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 Tokyo?

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

• 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
• Saitama 1,324,025
• Hiroshima 1,200,754
• Sendai 1,096,704
• Chiba 974,951

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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