Yokohama's population is projected to decline from 3,786,702 in 2025 to 3,664,048 in 2040. That is a decrease of about 123,000 people, or 3.2%, over 15 years. More important than the overall total, however, is that the pace of decline is projected to accelerate in the later years. In a city with 18 wards, the effects will also differ between central areas and suburban residential districts.
Yokohama population projections
| Year | Projected population | Change from previous period |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,786,702 | — |
| 2030 | 3,756,159 | −30,543 |
| 2035 | 3,715,508 | −40,651 |
| 2040 | 3,664,048 | −51,460 |
The five-year decline grows from about 30,000 to more than 50,000
The population is projected to fall by 30,543 between 2025 and 2030, by 40,651 between 2030 and 2035, and by 51,460 between 2035 and 2040. The later the period, the larger the projected decline.
Over the full 15 years, the decrease is 122,654 people, or 3.2% compared with 2025. Because Yokohama is such a large city, 3.2% may appear small as a percentage, but 123,000 people is roughly the population of a midsize city. Demand for housing, schools, transportation, and medical care will not decline evenly across the entire city.
A return to central areas and aging in hillside new towns are happening at the same time
Areas around Yokohama Station and Minato Mirai, Shin-Yokohama, and the Tokyu Toyoko Line offer strong employment access and transportation convenience, helping attract younger single residents and families with children. By contrast, in hilly areas such as Konan, Asahi, Sakae, and Izumi, as well as residential developments built during Japan's high-growth era, the original generation of residents is aging at roughly the same time. Steep roads, bus services, vacant homes, and access to shopping can therefore become more serious issues.
Yokohama is a huge city made up of 18 wards with very different characteristics. A citywide decline of 3.2% alone cannot capture the gap between station areas where housing demand may remain strong and suburban areas that may need school consolidation or transportation restructuring. Population policy needs to be designed separately for central districts, rail corridors, and suburban housing estates rather than applied uniformly across Yokohama.
How to read these figures
The figures shown here are population projections. They are not actual future counts, but estimates based on a set of assumptions, and could change depending on future births, deaths, and migration into and out of the city.
Summary: Yokohama's challenge is not just the rate of decline, but regional differences and acceleration
Yokohama is projected to lose about 123,000 residents by 2040, with the pace of decline accelerating in the later years. The real challenge is not the citywide decline of 3.2%, but the coexistence of station areas that continue to attract younger households and suburban residential districts that are aging.
- Population falls from 3,786,702 in 2025 to 3,664,048 in 2040
- A decline of 122,654 people, or 3.2%, over 15 years
- The five-year decline expands from 30,543 to 51,460
- Housing, transportation, and healthcare policy needs to reflect individual rail corridors and residential areas rather than treating all 18 wards the same
Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Social and Demographic Statistics System (Population and Households)
📊 Analysis notes
- Statistics used: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Social and Demographic Statistics System (Population and Households) (Table ID: 0000020101, view on e-Stat)
- Area: Yokohama
- Years: 2025, 2030, 2035, 2040
- Data retrieved: June 6, 2026
- Notes: The article primarily organizes published population projections. Explanations of the background also involve factors outside the table, including births, deaths, and migration, so the projected values themselves should be distinguished from interpretation.
Figures in the table were organized from the statistical data above.