Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan
Japan: Probability that a man will outlive a woman was 33.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
33.6%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
218th
of 236 countries
All-time high
44.5%
in 1948
All-time low
32.8%
in 2009
Years of data
77
1947–2023
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan, 1947–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 33.6% for probability that a man will outlive a woman in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan peaked at 44.5% in 1948 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, in 2009.
That places Japan 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 77 years of available data.
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 44.4% | — |
| 1948 | 44.5% | +0.1% |
| 1949 | 44.4% | -0.2% |
| 1950 | 44.2% | -0.4% |
| 1951 | 44.0% | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 43.6% | -1.0% |
| 1953 | 43.1% | -1.0% |
| 1954 | 42.3% | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 42.0% | -0.6% |
| 1956 | 41.8% | -0.7% |
| 1957 | 41.3% | -1.1% |
| 1958 | 41.1% | -0.5% |
| 1959 | 40.8% | -0.7% |
| 1960 | 40.2% | -1.3% |
| 1961 | 40.1% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 39.6% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 39.5% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 39.3% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 38.9% | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 38.9% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 38.8% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 38.6% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 38.2% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 38.3% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 38.3% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 38.2% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 38.3% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 38.4% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 38.3% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 38.1% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 38.1% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 37.9% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 37.7% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 37.4% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 37.4% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 37.3% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 36.9% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 36.7% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 36.6% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 36.5% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 36.2% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 36.1% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 35.9% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 35.3% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 35.0% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 34.9% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 34.7% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 34.4% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 34.3% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 34.1% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 33.6% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 33.5% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 33.5% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 33.3% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 33.1% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 33.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 32.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 33.1% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 33.0% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 33.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 32.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 32.8% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 33.4% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 33.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 33.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 33.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 33.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 33.6% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 33.5% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 33.7% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 33.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 33.6% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 33.7% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 33.6% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 33.6% | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 33.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 88% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 33.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 40.0%, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 44.4% | 44.4% | 44.5% | 3 |
| 1950s | 42.4% | 40.8% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 39.2% | 38.2% | 40.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.2% | 37.7% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.7% | 35.9% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.6% | 33.6% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.1% | 32.8% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.4% | 32.8% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.6% | 33.6% | 33.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 215 Anguilla 34.2% compare
- 216 Saint Helena 34.0% compare
- 217 Palestine 33.8% compare
- 219 South Korea 33.5% compare
- 220 Kazakhstan 33.0% compare
- 221 Vietnam 32.6% compare
More gender data for Japan
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,429 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.96 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 107,155 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 107,155 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate -0.4423 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 367,041 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 384,885 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 368,886 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 386,553 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 378,555 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan?
- Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Japan was 33.6% in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 1948.
- What is the lowest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 2009.
- How does Japan rank for probability that a man will outlive a woman?
- Japan ranks 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is probability that a man will outlive a woman rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Probability that a man will outlive a woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Probability that a male will live longer than a female if both are randomly selected from the population at birth.