Population Flow: People Moving to Tokyo in Greater Numbers
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In 2024, more people moved to Tokyo from other parts of Japan than those who left the capital. Tokyo saw a net influx of 79,285 people, this according to an annual report on internal migration issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications based on information from the Basic Resident Register. This was 11,000 more than the previous year.
In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, net inflow fell to 5,433, the lowest level since such records were first kept in 2014. Since then, though, the pace of migration to Tokyo has rebounded, with figures increasing for three consecutive years since 2022.
Looking at the 23 municipalities of central Tokyo, there was a net outflow of 14,828 people in 2021, but the direction of travel has since reversed, with net inflows of 21,420 in 2022, 53,899 in 2023, and 58,804 in 2024, approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Only six other prefectures in Japan had net inflows of population last year: Kanagawa (26,963), Saitama (21,736), Osaka (16,848), Chiba (7,859), Fukuoka (4,160), and Yamanashi (82). By contrast, the largest net outflows were in Hiroshima (10,711), Aichi (7,292), Hyōgo (7,287), and Shizuoka (7,271).
The Tokyo metropolitan area, consisting of Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa, had a net inflow of 135,843 people in 2024, up 26,996 year on year. The greatest inflow was among young people, led by those aged 20 to 24 (86,908), followed by 25 to 29 (32,065), and 15 to 19 (20,827). Meanwhile, the greatest outflow was by those aged 60 to 64 (4,544), 55 to 59 (3,239), and 65 to 69 (3,030). This reflects a pattern of people moving to Tokyo for study or work and then returning to their hometown or to the suburbs on reaching retirement age.
The Osaka metropolitan area, which consists of Osaka, Kyoto, Hyōgo, and Nara, had a net inflow of 2,679, marking the first increase since records began in 2014. The Nagoya metropolitan area (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie) had a net outflow of 18,856.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)