Number of deaths in Japan
Japan: Number of deaths was 1.44 million deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Number of deaths in Japan, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.44 million deaths for number of deaths in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of deaths in Japan peaked at 1.44 million deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 961,681 deaths, in 2000.
That places Japan 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Number of deaths in Japan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 961,681 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 970,349 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 982,383 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.01 million deaths | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 1.03 million deaths | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million deaths | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 1.08 million deaths | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.11 million deaths | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 1.14 million deaths | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 1.14 million deaths | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.20 million deaths | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 1.25 million deaths | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 1.26 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.27 million deaths | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.27 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.29 million deaths | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.31 million deaths | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 1.34 million deaths | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.36 million deaths | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 1.38 million deaths | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 1.37 million deaths | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 1.44 million deaths | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.05 million deaths | 961,681 deaths | 1.14 million deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 million deaths | 1.20 million deaths | 1.38 million deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.41 million deaths | 1.37 million deaths | 1.44 million deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -2.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0547 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0576 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of deaths in Japan?
- Number of deaths in Japan was 1.44 million deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of deaths recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.44 million deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of deaths recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 961,681 deaths in 2000.
- How does Japan rank for number of deaths?
- Japan ranks 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of deaths rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths from all causes in both sexes.