Kathmandu. The population of more than a quarter of Japan’s municipalities will shrink by more than 10 percent between 2020 and 2025, Kyodo News reported Sunday.

According to the report, the number of municipalities with such decline has almost doubled compared to the previous five years. In 2015-2020, 247 municipalities were in this category, which increased to 477 in 2020-2025.

The biggest population drop was in the city of Suzu in central Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture. The country’s population has shrunk by 34 percent since the 2024 earthquake.

Populations in Iwate and Akita in northeast Japan and Kochi prefecture in western Japan have also seen their populations drop by more than 10 percent.

The analysis is based on data from the 2020 national census and the preliminary census as of October 1, 2025. The study analysed the population change in 1,892 municipalities including 171 administrative districts in 20 major cities designated by the government.

Experts warn that rapid population declines could have a negative impact on public services, local economies and community structures. They said effective policies were needed to address Japan’s rapid demographic shifts.

Although the population has increased in 243 municipalities, the trend of decreasing population is continuing in most of the areas and it will be difficult to solve this problem only by increasing the birth rate.