MigrantoJapanese Diaspora
1M Japanese live abroad — 1% of the population of Japan
Japanese diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 70% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 547444 |
| Thailand | 104515 |
| Australia | 53094 |
| Brazil | 52758 |
| China | 40436 |
| Canada | 33767 |
| Vietnam | 27060 |
| Bangladesh | 18539 |
| Hong Kong | 15307 |
| Taiwan | 13789 |
| New Zealand | 12621 |
| Malaysia | 12388 |
| Indonesia | 9938 |
| Italy | 8158 |
| Peru | 7153 |
| Mexico | 6655 |
| Philippines | 4492 |
| Belgium | 4484 |
| Argentina | 2909 |
| Hungary | 2441 |
| Denmark | 2351 |
| Guam | 2321 |
| Paraguay | 2291 |
| Bolivia | 2063 |
| Norway | 1712 |
| Finland | 1710 |
| Czech Republic | 1471 |
| Chile | 1198 |
| Libya | 1133 |
| Sri Lanka | 857 |
| Mali | 828 |
| Egypt | 805 |
| India | 802 |
| Colombia | 726 |
| Panama | 680 |
| Luxembourg | 679 |
| Poland | 673 |
| Greece | 550 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 544 |
| Mongolia | 470 |
| South Africa | 450 |
| Costa Rica | 408 |
| Portugal | 396 |
| Dominican Republic | 387 |
| Venezuela | 322 |
| Bulgaria | 303 |
| Papua New Guinea | 259 |
| Brunei | 236 |
| Malta | 233 |
| Haiti | 223 |
| North Korea | 218 |
| Curaçao | 211 |
| Iceland | 178 |
| Guatemala | 173 |
| Slovakia | 172 |
| Zambia | 163 |
| Estonia | 163 |
| Palau | 145 |
| Honduras | 144 |
| Cambodia | 140 |
| Bhutan | 137 |
| Ecuador | 134 |
| Maldives | 126 |
| Namibia | 124 |
| Slovenia | 111 |
| Cyprus | 86 |
| Ghana | 70 |
| Tonga | 62 |
| El Salvador | 55 |
| Guinea | 48 |
| Croatia | 48 |
| Micronesia | 48 |
| Nicaragua | 42 |
| Bahamas | 38 |
| Samoa | 37 |
| Puerto Rico | 32 |
| Gabon | 31 |
| Bermuda | 31 |
| Solomon Islands | 27 |
| Latvia | 25 |
| Lithuania | 24 |
| Cayman Islands | 23 |
| French Polynesia | 23 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 20 |
| Liechtenstein | 19 |
| Mauritius | 8 |
| Saint Lucia | 8 |
| Cape Verde | 0 |
| Sierra Leone | 0 |
By region
58% of the diaspora lives in North America
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Key facts
The Japanese diaspora in numbers
Most Japanese abroad live in the USA
54% of the diaspora lives in the USA, while the next country accounts for just 10%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
3 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Vietnam, Peru, Hungary. Vietnam climbed from outside the top 20 to #7.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 64% to 54%.
The share of the diaspora living in Asia has grown since 1990
12.4% of the diaspora lived in Asia in 1990, compared with 24.7% today.
Japanese diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 710783 |
| 1995 | 911486 |
| 2000 | 846780 |
| 2005 | 864518 |
| 2010 | 909212 |
| 2015 | 943736 |
| 2020 | 926826 |
| 2024 | 1008173 |
Largest communities over time
Japanese living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | USA | Thailand | Australia | Brazil | China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 458055 | 2419 | 21286 | 88605 | 33057 |
| 1995 | 642190 | 4772 | 25256 | 77460 | 38903 |
| 2000 | 548222 | 11657 | 25299 | 68967 | 46301 |
| 2005 | 517367 | 45200 | 33136 | 59153 | 55111 |
| 2010 | 504231 | 78742 | 40397 | 47893 | 64702 |
| 2015 | 538574 | 88674 | 47609 | 38165 | 50193 |
| 2020 | 536286 | 96936 | 48694 | 28829 | 37470 |
| 2024 | 547444 | 104515 | 53094 | 52758 | 40436 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Japanese in each country has changed since the selected year
Japanese among immigrants in other countries
Where Japanese make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Japanese live outside Japan?
Around 1M Japanese live abroad, the world's #68 largest diaspora.
Where do most Japanese abroad live?
Most Japanese live in USA, Thailand and Australia — these three countries account for about 70% of all Japanese living abroad.
Which country has the largest Japanese population outside Japan?
USA is home to the largest Japanese community abroad — 547.4K people, about 54% of all Japanese living abroad.
What share of the population of Japan lives abroad?
About 1% of the population of Japan lives abroad — that's 1M out of a total population of 124M.
Is the Japanese diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Japanese living abroad has grown from 943.7K to 1M, about 7%.
Where does the data on the Japanese diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Japan who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
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Living in Japan
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