Land use over the long-term in Japan
Japan: Land use over the long-term was 294,800 hectares in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
294,800 hectares
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
135th
of 202 countries
All-time high
1.17 million hectares
in 1951
All-time low
133,378 hectares
in 1100
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Japan, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Japan recorded 294,800 hectares for land use over the long-term in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Japan peaked at 1.17 million hectares in 1951 and was at its lowest, 133,378 hectares, in 1100.
That places Japan 135th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 108 years of available data.
Land use over the long-term in Japan, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 143,368 hectares | — |
| 1100 | 133,378 hectares | -7.0% |
| 1200 | 136,281 hectares | +2.2% |
| 1300 | 153,761 hectares | +12.8% |
| 1400 | 174,266 hectares | +13.3% |
| 1500 | 227,680 hectares | +30.7% |
| 1600 | 310,673 hectares | +36.5% |
| 1700 | 481,473 hectares | +55.0% |
| 1710 | 515,803 hectares | +7.1% |
| 1720 | 588,460 hectares | +14.1% |
| 1730 | 582,939 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1740 | 577,455 hectares | -0.9% |
| 1750 | 519,888 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1760 | 511,054 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1770 | 502,004 hectares | -1.8% |
| 1780 | 443,472 hectares | -11.7% |
| 1790 | 434,999 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1800 | 426,414 hectares | -2.0% |
| 1810 | 432,785 hectares | +1.5% |
| 1820 | 438,729 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1830 | 514,057 hectares | +17.2% |
| 1840 | 522,635 hectares | +1.7% |
| 1850 | 530,993 hectares | +1.6% |
| 1860 | 495,589 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1870 | 507,905 hectares | +2.5% |
| 1880 | 538,382 hectares | +6.0% |
| 1890 | 521,509 hectares | -3.1% |
| 1900 | 575,554 hectares | +10.4% |
| 1910 | 639,216 hectares | +11.1% |
| 1920 | 700,796 hectares | +9.6% |
| 1930 | 796,073 hectares | +13.6% |
| 1940 | 1.03 million hectares | +29.4% |
| 1950 | 1.16 million hectares | +12.2% |
| 1951 | 1.17 million hectares | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 1.07 million hectares | -8.5% |
| 1953 | 1.07 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 1.07 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 965,306 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1956 | 964,140 hectares | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 961,906 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 958,799 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 955,008 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1960 | 1.10 million hectares | +15.2% |
| 1961 | 1.10 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.10 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.00 million hectares | -9.1% |
| 1964 | 1.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.00 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 900,000 hectares | -10.0% |
| 1967 | 900,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 900,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 900,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 900,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 802,000 hectares | -10.9% |
| 1972 | 787,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 775,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 762,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1975 | 750,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 737,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 725,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 714,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 702,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1980 | 691,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 679,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 668,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 658,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 647,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 637,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 627,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 618,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 608,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 599,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 589,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 580,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 571,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 562,000 hectares | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 542,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 524,000 hectares | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 506,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 488,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 471,000 hectares | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 455,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 428,000 hectares | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 420,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 412,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 404,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 396,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 388,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 382,400 hectares | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 376,800 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 371,200 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 365,600 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 360,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 358,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 356,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 354,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 352,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 350,000 hectares | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 342,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 334,000 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 326,000 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 318,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 310,000 hectares | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 310,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 310,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 302,800 hectares | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 298,800 hectares | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 294,800 hectares | -1.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 294,800 hectares is below the median for high income countries, which is 395,224 hectares, 75% of the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Japan's 294,800 hectares is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 190,000 hectares, 1.6× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use over the long-term in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1700 | +55.0% | 310,673 hectares | 481,473 hectares |
| 1600 | +36.5% | 227,680 hectares | 310,673 hectares |
| 1500 | +30.7% | 174,266 hectares | 227,680 hectares |
| 1940 | +29.4% | 796,073 hectares | 1.03 million hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 143,368 hectares | 143,368 hectares | 143,368 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 133,378 hectares | 133,378 hectares | 133,378 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 136,281 hectares | 136,281 hectares | 136,281 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 153,761 hectares | 153,761 hectares | 153,761 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 174,266 hectares | 174,266 hectares | 174,266 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 227,680 hectares | 227,680 hectares | 227,680 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 310,673 hectares | 310,673 hectares | 310,673 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 481,473 hectares | 481,473 hectares | 481,473 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 515,803 hectares | 515,803 hectares | 515,803 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 588,460 hectares | 588,460 hectares | 588,460 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 582,939 hectares | 582,939 hectares | 582,939 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 577,455 hectares | 577,455 hectares | 577,455 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 519,888 hectares | 519,888 hectares | 519,888 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 511,054 hectares | 511,054 hectares | 511,054 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 502,004 hectares | 502,004 hectares | 502,004 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 443,472 hectares | 443,472 hectares | 443,472 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 434,999 hectares | 434,999 hectares | 434,999 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 426,414 hectares | 426,414 hectares | 426,414 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 432,785 hectares | 432,785 hectares | 432,785 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 438,729 hectares | 438,729 hectares | 438,729 hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 514,057 hectares | 514,057 hectares | 514,057 hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 522,635 hectares | 522,635 hectares | 522,635 hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 530,993 hectares | 530,993 hectares | 530,993 hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 495,589 hectares | 495,589 hectares | 495,589 hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 507,905 hectares | 507,905 hectares | 507,905 hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 538,382 hectares | 538,382 hectares | 538,382 hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 521,509 hectares | 521,509 hectares | 521,509 hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 575,554 hectares | 575,554 hectares | 575,554 hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 639,216 hectares | 639,216 hectares | 639,216 hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 700,796 hectares | 700,796 hectares | 700,796 hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 796,073 hectares | 796,073 hectares | 796,073 hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 1.03 million hectares | 1.03 million hectares | 1.03 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 1.03 million hectares | 955,008 hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 990,000 hectares | 900,000 hectares | 1.10 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 765,400 hectares | 702,000 hectares | 900,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 643,200 hectares | 599,000 hectares | 691,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 528,800 hectares | 455,000 hectares | 589,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 394,400 hectares | 365,600 hectares | 428,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 345,000 hectares | 318,000 hectares | 360,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 304,400 hectares | 294,800 hectares | 310,000 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More environment data for Japan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.8 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.358 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.4957 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Japan?
- Land use over the long-term in Japan was 294,800 hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.17 million hectares in 1951.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 133,378 hectares in 1100.
- How does Japan rank for land use over the long-term?
- Japan ranks 135th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.