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Japan · prefecture

Shimane population 2026

島根県

Shimane has 642,000 people on the latest official figure, for 1 October 2024 (published to the nearest thousand), 8,000 fewer than a year earlier (−1.23%). It is 46th of Japan’s 47 prefectures by population, home to 0.5% of Japan’s people.

If last year’s change continues: about 628 thousand by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.

Shimane in numbers

Population
642 thousand 1 October 2024
Change in a year
−1.23% −8,000 people
Share of Japan
0.5% 46th of 47 prefectures
Population density
96per km² 6,708 km²

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

Population of Shimane by year

Population of Shimane
642k
› Show the numbers as a table
YearPopulation
2021665,000
2022658,000
2023650,000
2024642,000
YearPopulationChange
2024 642,000 −8,000
2023 650,000 −8,000
2022 658,000 −7,000
2021 665,000 –

Shimane 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 Shimane

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

  1. Matsue203,616
  2. Izumo172,775
  3. Hamada57,142
  4. Masuda45,003
  5. Unnan43,269
  6. Yasugichō38,875

Questions

What is the population of Shimane in 2026?
The latest official figure is 642,000, for 1 October 2024 (Statistics Bureau of Japan). If last year’s change continues, Shimane would have about 628 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 Shimane’s population growing or shrinking?
It shrank by 8,000 people (−1.23%) in the latest year.

How does Shimane rank in Japan?
Shimane is 46th 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 Shimane?
About 96 people per km², on 6,708 km². Total area, Wikidata.

What is the largest city in Shimane?
Matsue, with about 204 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: Shimane population, Statistics Bureau of Japan, 1 October 2024. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/japan/shimane/

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