8.45 Million People Received Medical Care Nationwide on the Survey Day | Reading the Reiwa 5 Patient Survey
The Patient Survey is a fundamental statistical survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare every 3 years. It examines the sex, age, diagnoses and other characteristics of patients who received care on a single day at hospitals and clinics sampled from across Japan, and uses the findings to estimate patient numbers nationwide. The latest survey, for 2023, was conducted in October 2023, and the results were published in December 2024 (results from the next survey, for 2026, have not yet been published).
The estimated numbers of patients receiving care at medical facilities nationwide on the survey date were 1,175,300 inpatients and 7,275,000 outpatients. Together, this means that approximately 8,450,000 people received care at a hospital or clinic on that single day.
About 3 in 4 inpatients are aged 65 or older
Of the 1,175,300 inpatients, 887,200 were aged 65 or older, accounting for approximately 75%. Among outpatients, 3,698,200 were aged 65 or older—almost half. By sex, women outnumbered men in both inpatient and outpatient care, with 4,178,900 female outpatients and 3,096,100 male outpatients.
By facility type, there were 4,494,300 outpatients at general clinics, 1,516,900 at hospitals and 1,263,800 at dental clinics. These figures show that local clinics play a central role in outpatient care.
Key figures from the 2023 Patient Survey
・Estimated patient numbers (survey date): 1,175,300 inpatients / 7,275,000 outpatients
・Common conditions among inpatients: mental and behavioural disorders, diseases of the circulatory system, injuries and poisoning, among others
・Common reasons for outpatient care: diseases of the digestive system (including dental conditions), health services such as checkups, and diseases of the circulatory system
・Average length of stay for discharged patients: 28.4 days (29.3 days at hospitals)
How common conditions differ between inpatient and outpatient care
By broad disease category, the most common among inpatients was “Mental and behavioural disorders,” with 213,100 patients, followed by “Diseases of the circulatory system,” with 182,500, and “Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes,” with 133,500. Cerebrovascular diseases accounted for 109,400 patients within the circulatory disease category, while fractures accounted for 96,300 within the injury category.
Among outpatients, “Diseases of the digestive system” was the largest category, with 1,236,000 patients. This category includes dental conditions: gingivitis and periodontal diseases accounted for 550,600 patients, and dental caries (tooth decay) for 222,600. In 2nd place was “Factors influencing health status and contact with health services,” including checkups and vaccinations, with 999,000 patients. In 3rd place was “Diseases of the circulatory system,” with 842,200 patients, of whom 606,400 had hypertensive diseases.
“Total patients” receiving ongoing medical care
The Patient Survey also estimates “total patients,” including people who continue to attend outpatient appointments even if they did not receive care on the survey date. By broad category, the largest was “Diseases of the circulatory system,” with 22,101,000 patients, followed by “Diseases of the digestive system,” with 21,201,000, and “Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases,” with 11,967,000.
The average length of stay for discharged patients was 28.4 days. By disease category, stays were longest for “Mental and behavioural disorders” at 290.4 days, followed by “Diseases of the nervous system” at 93.3 days and “Diseases of the circulatory system” at 34.6 days.
For changes in the number of hospitals and clinics, see 8,001 Hospitals Nationwide | The 2025 Survey of Medical Institutions Shows a Decline of 59 in 1 Year, and for the global picture of hypertension, see 1.4 Billion People Worldwide Have Hypertension | Only 1 in 5 Has It Under Control introduced here.
Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Overview of the Patient Survey, Reiwa 5 (2023)” (published December 20, 2024)
※This article introduces statistics and system information published by public institutions and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any specific disease. If you have health concerns, please consult a medical institution.
—The Value Village Editorial Team
