Reference Material: Impacts of the nuclear accident on Fukushima Prefecture—Evacuee numbers, population by district, primary and junior high school students, agricultural output
By Matsukubo Hajime (CNIC)
Statistical data on changes in Fukushima Prefecture’s evacuee numbers, population by district, numbers of primary and junior high school students in areas that were evacuated and agricultural output were used to compile these graphs.
Regarding changes in the numbers of evacuees, as there are discrepancies regarding the definition of ‘evacuee,’ the number estimated by the national and prefectural government was (as of February 2021) 7,220 within Fukushima Pref. and 28,505 outside the prefecture. However, the total number of evacuees estimated by local municipalities in Fukushima Pref. at the minimum exceeds 67,000 (Kyodo News, 30 January 2021).
In terms of population by district, the population of Sousou district (which covers Soma and Futaba, close to the Fukushima Daiichi plant) has halved compared to 2010. The population decrease in 2015 reflects evacuees moving their registered address away from Fukushima Pref. after the cancellation of the evacuation orders and the difference in government population surveys in 2010 (before the nuclear accident) and 2016.
The population of Iwaki increased immediately following the accident but recently has been showing a downward tendency. The population of Fukushima Pref. in total has decreased by 11%. Other prefectures which were also affected by the 3/11 disaster have not shown such a marked decrease in population. For example, the population of Iwate Pref. declined by 9% and that of Miyagi Pref. by only 2%.
The major decreases in numbers of school children have ceased with the lifting of the evacuation orders, but compared to before the accident, student numbers have decreased by about 90%.
Agricultural output has dropped by about 10% since the accident. About 15% (14,550 households) of farmers in Fukushima Pref. lived in the evacuated zones before the accident.
