People displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan

Japan: People displaced internally by natural disasters was 8,600 number of cases in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
8,600 number of cases
Change on year
down 83.1%
World rank
72nd
of 146 countries
All-time high
892,000 number of cases
in 2011
All-time low
800 number of cases
in 2008
Years of data
15
2008–2023

People displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan, 2008–2023

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2008201520232008: 800 number of cases2010: 85.0k number of cases2011: 892.0k number of cases2012: 308.0k number of cases2013: 639.0k number of cases2014: 707.0k number of cases2015: 486.0k number of cases2016: 863.0k number of cases2017: 21.0k number of cases2018: 146.0k number of cases2019: 265.0k number of cases2020: 186.0k number of cases2021: 14.0k number of cases2022: 51.0k number of cases2023: 8.6k number of cases

Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in number of cases.

Analysis

The most recent figure for people displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan is 8,600 number of cases, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 83.1% on the previous year and down 98.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan peaked at 892,000 number of cases in 2011 and was at its lowest, 800 number of cases, in 2008.

Japan ranks 72nd of 146 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 800 number of cases 800 number of cases 800 number of cases 1
2010s 441,200 number of cases 21,000 number of cases 892,000 number of cases 10
2020s 64,900 number of cases 8,600 number of cases 186,000 number of cases 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 69 Argentina 9,800 number of cases compare
  2. 69 Haiti 9,800 number of cases compare
  3. 71 Zambia 9,300 number of cases compare
  4. 73 France 7,900 number of cases compare
  5. 74 Benin 6,900 number of cases compare
  6. 75 Fiji 6,700 number of cases compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is people displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan?
People displaced internally by natural disasters in Japan was 8,600 number of cases in 2023, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 892,000 number of cases in 2011.
What is the lowest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 800 number of cases in 2008.
How does Japan rank for people displaced internally by natural disasters?
Japan ranks 72nd out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
Is people displaced internally by natural disasters rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 98.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People displaced internally by natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
People displaced internally by natural disasters
Unit
number of cases
Source
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
146 places, 1,631 data points, 2008–2023
Last refreshed

Internally-displaced persons are defined as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, as a result of natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border.