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Japan · prefecture

Kochi population 2026

高知県

Kochi has 656,000 people on the latest official figure, for 1 October 2024 (published to the nearest thousand), 10,000 fewer than a year earlier (−1.50%). It is 45th of Japan’s 47 prefectures by population, home to 0.5% of Japan’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 639 thousand by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Kochi in numbers

Population
656 thousand 1 October 2024
Change in a year
−1.50% −10,000 people
Share of Japan
0.5% 45th of 47 prefectures
Population density
92per km² 7,104 km²

That is about as many people as Suriname (645 thousand).

Population of Kochi by year

Population of Kochi
656k
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
2021684,000
2022676,000
2023666,000
2024656,000
YearPopulationChange
2024 656,000 −10,000
2023 666,000 −10,000
2022 676,000 −8,000
2021 684,000 –

Kochi among Japan’s prefectures

Full ranking →
Prefectures of Japan by population
#
1 Tokyo14,178,000+0.65%
2 Kanagawa9,225,000−0.04%
3 Osaka8,757,000−0.07%
4 Aichi7,460,000−0.23%
5 Saitama7,332,000+0.01%
6 Chiba6,251,000−0.10%
7 Hyogo5,337,000−0.61%
8 Fukuoka5,092,000−0.22%
9 Hokkaido5,043,000−0.96%
10 Shizuoka3,527,000−0.79%
11 Ibaraki2,806,000−0.67%
12 Hiroshima2,714,000−0.88%
13 Kyoto2,520,000−0.59%
14 Miyagi2,248,000−0.71%
15 Niigata2,099,000−1.27%
16 Nagano1,987,000−0.85%
17 Gifu1,916,000−0.78%
18 Gunma1,890,000−0.63%
19 Tochigi1,885,000−0.63%
20 Okayama1,831,000−0.87%
21 Fukushima1,743,000−1.36%
22 Mie1,711,000−0.93%
23 Kumamoto1,697,000−0.70%
24 Kagoshima1,532,000−1.10%
25 Okinawa1,466,000−0.14%
26 Shiga1,402,000−0.35%
27 Nara1,285,000−0.85%
28 Yamaguchi1,281,000−1.31%
29 Ehime1,276,000−1.16%
30 Nagasaki1,252,000−1.18%
31 Aomori1,165,000−1.60%
32 Iwate1,145,000−1.55%
33 Ishikawa1,098,000−0.99%
34 Oita1,085,000−1.00%
35 Miyazaki1,033,000−0.86%
36 Yamagata1,011,000−1.46%
37 Toyama997,000−0.99%
38 Kagawa917,000−0.97%
39 Akita897,000−1.86%
40 Wakayama880,000−1.34%
41 Yamanashi791,000−0.63%
42 Saga788,000−0.88%
43 Fukui739,000−0.67%
44 Tokushima685,000−1.44%
45 Kochi656,000−1.50%
46 Shimane642,000−1.23%
47 Tottori531,000−1.12%

Largest cities in Kochi

City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.

  1. Kochi332,059
  2. Nankoku46,664
  3. Nakamura34,559
  4. Shimoda32,694
  5. Yamashita32,207
  6. Tosayamadachō-nakano26,513

Questions

What is the population of Kochi in 2026?
The latest official figure is 656,000, for 1 October 2024 (Statistics Bureau of Japan). If last year’s change continues, Kochi would have about 639 thousand people by 1 July 2026; that is our arithmetic, not an official figure. Prefecture estimates are published in thousands each spring; results of the 2025 census will supersede them.

Is Kochi’s population growing or shrinking?
It shrank by 10,000 people (−1.50%) in the latest year.

How does Kochi rank in Japan?
Kochi is 45th of Japan’s 47 prefectures, with 0.5% of the people. Tokyo is the largest, with 14.2 million.

What is the population density of Kochi?
About 92 people per km², on 7,104 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in Kochi?
Kochi, with about 332 thousand people in the city proper. Metro areas are larger, and years differ (GeoNames).

Source and method

Statistics Bureau of Japan, Population Estimates. Reuse with credit under the e-Gov terms. Total area, Wikidata. Prefecture estimates are published in thousands each spring; results of the 2025 census will supersede them. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Japan, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.

Cite this page: Kochi population, Statistics Bureau of Japan, 1 October 2024. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/japan/kochi/

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