Japan has 9 million empty homes: one in seven
Vacant dwellings in Japan, millions, Housing and Land Survey, every five years 1978–2023.
Japan had a record 9.0 million vacant homes in 2023. That is 13.8% of all dwellings.
More empty homes than in 1978 (2.68m, when the rate was 7.6%).
Homes held for no rent, sale or holiday use, up from 1.31m in 1988. These are the true akiya.
the numbers
| Year | All vacant homes (m) | Not for rent, sale or second home (m) |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 2.68 | |
| 1983 | 3.30 | |
| 1988 | 3.94 | 1.31 |
| 1993 | 4.48 | 1.49 |
| 1998 | 5.76 | 1.82 |
| 2003 | 6.59 | 2.12 |
| 2008 | 7.57 | 2.68 |
| 2013 | 8.20 | 3.18 |
| 2018 | 8.49 | 3.49 |
| 2023 | 9.00 | 3.85 |
source notes & method
The 2023 total is the final figure (9,002k, Stat Bureau news bulletin, 30 Oct 2024). The preliminary figure was 8,995k. 1978–2018 totals come from the Statistics Bureau results summary. The 1988–2018 'other' series comes from MLIT (in units of 10,000). The 2023 'other' figure (3,853k) is preliminary. 'Other vacant' means dwellings not for rent, not for sale and not secondary homes.
Published 12 Oct 2026
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