Place profile
Tokyo 23 Special Wards covers 627.5 km² (242.3 sq mi) of land and had a population of 9.9 million in 2024, about 15,735 people per km² (40,754 per sq mi). In more familiar terms, it is about 81% of New York City.
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Calculated from the population and area above; their reference dates may differ.
The closest rung on the US reference ladder (Census Bureau land area); see the sources below.
The inverse of population density, from the same area and population figures.
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The 23 special wards only, not Tokyo Metropolis and not the wider Greater Tokyo area. The wards hold about 70% of the metropolis population on under 30% of its land; the metropolis additionally contains 26 cities, 13 towns and villages and the Izu and Ogasawara islands. The area is a Geospatial Information Authority reference value because five wards have partly undetermined boundaries, and it includes 4.68 km² of river-mouth and bay landfill not assigned to any individual ward. Daytime population is far larger than the resident count: the 2020 census recorded 12.35 million people in the wards on a weekday.
Average administrative density does not describe population distribution in every neighborhood. Compare population definitions and reference dates alongside the numbers.
Place guide
The 23 wards are a statistical aggregate rather than a government: each ward is its own local authority, and no mayor presides over the 23 wards as a whole. The figures here describe that aggregate as of 2024-10-01, when its area was 627.51 km² and its population 9,873,999 including foreign residents.
The Geospatial Information Authority labels 627.51 km² a reference value because five wards have partly undetermined boundaries. It also includes 4.68 km² of river-mouth and bay landfill that is not assigned to any individual ward, so the per-ward areas do not sum to the total.
The area should not be recomputed from the map polygon. The OSM ward boundaries extend out over Tokyo Bay water and would give about 724 km², which is water plus land rather than land.
Tokyo Metropolis covers 2,199.94 km² with 14,192,184 people, so the wards hold about 70% of the metropolis population on under 30% of its land. The rest of the metropolis contains 26 cities, 13 towns and villages, and the Izu and Ogasawara islands.
Density from resident population also understates weekday load. The 2020 census recorded a daytime population of 12,346,348 against 9,733,276 residents that year, a day-to-night ratio of 126.8%.
Questions people ask
Tokyo 23 Special Wards covers 627.5 km², or 242.3 sq mi (reference date 2024-10-01). In US terms: ≈ 81% of New York City.
9.9 million — 9,873,999 as of 2024-10-01. The scope of that count is set out under “Scope and definitions” on this page.
About 15,735.2 people per km² (40,754 per sq mi), derived from the area and population above, whose reference dates may differ. An administrative average does not describe how crowded any particular neighbourhood is.
The 23 special wards only, not Tokyo Metropolis and not the wider Greater Tokyo area. The wards hold about 70% of the metropolis population on under 30% of its land; the metropolis additionally contains 26 cities, 13 towns and villages and the Izu and Ogasawara islands. The area is a Geospatial Information Authority reference value because five wards have partly undetermined boundaries, and it includes 4.68 km² of river-mouth and bay landfill not assigned to any individual ward. Daytime population is far larger than the resident count: the 2020 census recorded 12.35 million people in the wards on a weekday.
Outline source: © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · source feature
Read the methodology and data notes