MigrantoJapanese Diaspora
1M Japanese live abroad — the #68 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 70% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| 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 destination region
North America is the leading destination region at 58%
581.2K
249.5K
78.7K
69.2K
25.9K
3.7K
86
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Japan.
USA is the primary destination for emigrants
USA attracts 54% of all emigrants from Japan, while the second-largest destination receives just 10%.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
3 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Vietnam, Peru, Hungary — Vietnam rose from outside the top 20 to rank #7.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 64% to 54%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has grown since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 12.4% to 24.7% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 710783 |
| 1995 | 911486 |
| 2000 | 846780 |
| 2005 | 864518 |
| 2010 | 909212 |
| 2015 | 943736 |
| 2020 | 926826 |
| 2024 | 1008173 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| 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 destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Japan as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Japan
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do Japanese move to?
Most Japanese have moved to USA, Thailand and Australia — these three countries account for about 70% of all Japanese living abroad.
How many Japanese live abroad?
Around 1M Japanese live abroad, making it the #68-largest emigrant population in the world.
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.
How has emigration from Japan changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Japan has grown from 943.7K to 1M people, a growth of about 7%.
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