Wakayama: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Wakayama: Taxable income for municipal resident tax in Wakayama averaged 3.71 million yen per taxpayer in fiscal 2024, 116th highest of 262 cities and below 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 Wakayama: Wakayama had 34 general hospitals (hospitals other than psychiatric ones) in 2023, or 9.53 per 100,000 residents, 22nd highest of 262 cities, above the national figure (5.60).
• Education in Wakayama: Wakayama had 53 primary schools with 16,522 pupils and 1,240 full-time teachers in May 2024.
• Poverty and living standards in Wakayama: 35.0% of private households in Wakayama were one-person households at the 2020 census (54,986), 127th lowest of 262 cities, below the national figure (38.0%).
• Government budget and revenue in Wakayama: The municipal government of Wakayama took in 167.0 billion yen in fiscal 2022 (final accounts), 468,039 yen per resident, 128th 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 Wakayama?

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

• Nagasaki 409,118
• Gifu 402,557
• Toyonaka 401,558
• Miyazaki 401,339
• Hirakata 397,289
• Yokosuka 388,078
• Suita 385,567
• Okazaki 384,654
• Ichinomiya 380,073
• Takasaki 372,973
• Nagano 372,760
• Toyohashi 371,920
• Nara 354,630
• Kawagoe 354,571
• Takatsuki 352,698
• Otsu 345,070

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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