The average life in Japan
What does an average life in Japan look like? From birth weight to school, first job, marriage, children, peak pay, retirement age and life expectancy, this page lines up the latest official figures from Japan's ministries in age order, for men and women. At the end, it asks why almost nobody actually lives the average life.
An average life, age by age
| Around age | Milestone | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Average birth weight | 3.04 kg | 2.95 kg |
| 15 | Go on to high school | 98.6% | 98.7% |
| 18 | Go on to university (undergraduate) | 60.7% | 56.5% |
| 22 | Starting monthly pay, new university graduates | ¥264,900 | ¥259,700 |
| About 30 | Average age at first marriage | 31.0 | 29.7 |
| 31 | Mother's average age at first birth | — | 31.0 |
| 40s–50s | Age of peak monthly pay | 55–59 ¥445,600 | 45–49 and 55–59 ¥305,700 |
| 60–65 | Mandatory retirement age set by employers | 60 at 62.2% of firms; 65 or older (or none) at 34.9% | |
| 65 | Remaining life expectancy at 65 | 19.68 years | 24.52 years |
| 70s | Healthy life expectancy (2022) | 72.57 | 75.45 |
| 80s | Life expectancy at birth | 81.35 | 87.33 |
| 80s–90s | Age by which half have died (median lifespan) | 84.13 | 90.17 |
Birth: about 3 kg
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Vital Statistics (2025, final figures), the average birth weight was 3.04 kg for boys and 2.95 kg for girls. Japan recorded 671,270 births in 2025, the fewest since the survey began in 1899.
School: almost everyone finishes high school, about 6 in 10 go to university
The education ministry's School Basic Survey (2025) shows 98.6% of junior high graduates go on to high school. The share going on to an undergraduate university program (including those who enter after a gap year) is 58.6%: 60.7% of men and 56.5% of women. Including junior colleges, it is 61.5% for men and 61.2% for women, almost no gap. So the "average person" goes to university, but about 4 in 10 people born in the same year take another path.
Work: about ¥260,000 to start, peak pay in the late 50s
Of those who finished university in March 2025, 77.0% went into a job (School Basic Survey). In the 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure, new university graduates earned ¥264,900 a month (men) and ¥259,700 (women).
In the same survey, monthly pay for regular workers rises with age and peaks at ¥445,600 for men aged 55–59, and at ¥305,700 for women aged 45–49 and 55–59, before falling in the 60s. Men's pay climbs to about 1.8 times what it is in the early 20s; women's rises more gently, to about 1.3 times.
Marriage and children: first marriage around 30
Vital Statistics (2025, preliminary annual figures) put the average age at first marriage at 31.0 for husbands and 29.7 for wives, and the mother's average age at the birth of her first child at 31.0. These averages only count people who married or had a child; many people do neither.
Home: about 6 in 10 homes are owner-occupied, 8 in 10 for older households
The Statistics Bureau's Housing and Land Survey (2023) found that 60.9% of homes are owner-occupied. Among households with someone aged 65 or older, 81.6% live in a home they own. Many people rent when young and own later in life.
Retirement: 60 is common, moving toward 65
The 2025 report on the employment of older workers (as of June 1, 2025, firms with 21 or more employees) shows 62.2% of firms set the mandatory retirement age at 60 and 27.2% at 65. Firms with a retirement age of 65 or older, including those with none, rose 2.3 points to 34.9%. 99.9% of firms have some arrangement, such as a higher retirement age or continued employment, that lets people work until 65.
Old age and death: life expectancy 81.35 for men, 87.33 for women
According to the 2025 Abridged Life Tables, life expectancy at birth is 81.35 years for men and 87.33 for women. At 65, men can expect to live another 19.68 years and women another 24.52. 26.7% of men and 50.8% of women live to 90: one woman in two reaches 90.
Healthy life expectancy, the years lived without health problems limiting daily life, was 72.57 for men and 75.45 for women in 2022. That is 8.49 and 11.63 years short of life expectancy in the same year.
The median lifespan, the age by which half of those born have died, is 84.13 for men and 90.17 for women, nearly three years above life expectancy. Deaths at younger ages pull the average below the middle.
Almost nobody lives the average life
Very few people match every line of that table. About 6 in 10 go to university; the average lifespan is shorter than the median; the ages at first marriage and first birth only count those who married or had children. Each number is a common value, but a life where all of them line up is rare.
And the year, the prefecture and the household you are born into shift every one of these numbers. See Where and into what family you are born, Work and wages and How long you live.
Live one life, not the average
Born in Japan is a Japanese life simulator that uses public statistics like these to let you live one person's life, born somewhere in Japan, one year at a time. You choose your schooling, work, marriage, home and spending at each turning point, and the statistics and the game's assumptions turn that into a life unlike anyone else's. At the end, you see where your life landed among people with the same birth.
Play Born in Japan (free, no sign-up) / How the family you are born into shapes your life
FAQ
What is the average life expectancy in Japan?
In 2025 it was 81.35 years for men and 87.33 years for women (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2025 Abridged Life Tables).
What is the average age at first marriage in Japan?
In 2025 it was 31.0 for husbands and 29.7 for wives (Vital Statistics, preliminary annual figures).
At what age does pay peak in Japan?
For regular workers, monthly pay peaks at 55–59 for men (¥445,600) and at 45–49 and 55–59 for women (¥305,700) (Basic Survey on Wage Structure, 2025).
What share of people in Japan go to university?
In 2025, 58.6% went on to an undergraduate program: 60.7% of men and 56.5% of women (School Basic Survey).
Sources
- Birth weight, number of births: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Vital Statistics 2025 (final), Vol. 1, Births, Table 4.25 e-Stat (Japanese) / Summary (Japanese)
- Age at first marriage, mother's age at first birth: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Vital Statistics 2025 (preliminary annual) Summary (Japanese)
- Rates of going on to high school, university and junior college by sex: Ministry of Education, School Basic Survey 2025, time series "advancement rates" e-Stat (Japanese)
- Share of university graduates who took a job: Ministry of Education, School Basic Survey 2025 release PDF (Japanese)
- Pay by age, pay of new graduates: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 Summary (Japanese)
- Owner-occupied homes: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2023 Housing and Land Survey, basic tabulation summary PDF (Japanese)
- Mandatory retirement age: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2025 report on the employment of older workers Release (Japanese)
- Life expectancy, life expectancy at 65, share living to 90, median lifespan: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2025 Abridged Life Tables Summary (Japanese)
- Healthy life expectancy (2022): Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare PDF (Japanese)
Every number on this page comes from the public statistics above; none are game estimates. Lives in the game combine public statistics with game assumptions, and each explainer page marks which is which. Related: The odds of being born in Japan / Where and into what family you are born
Next: Oya gacha: how the family you are born into shapes a life in Japan