Japan’s Jogging Population Drops by 3 M. in 4 Years

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The estimated number of people who jog at least once a year fell by about 3 million in 2024 from the 2020 level, a survey by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation showed Thursday. The survey, conducted in 2024, found that only 7.4 pct of people in Japan aged 20 or older, or about 7.58 million, went for a run at least once a year, down 2.8 percentage points from 2020, when the country’s jogging population peaked. The jogging rate stood at 11.4 pct for men and 3.3 pct for women, according to the 2024 survey. The figure for women was the lowest since the survey began in 1998. The rate of female joggers in their 20s was just one-third of the 2020 level. The survey was conducted in June and July last year, covering 3,000 men and women across Japan aged 18 or older. A foundation official speculated that changes in people’s lifestyles, with more choices of how to spend leisure time, such as using social media, playing smartphone games and watching videos, have led to a decline in the overall proportion of people playing sports. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]