Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) releases the total attendance of baseball games every year. The following table shows the total attendance of NPB games from 1950 to 2013.
Figure : Average attendance of a baseball game by year
| Pacific League | Central League | |||||
| Year | Number of games | Total Attendance | Average Attendance | Number of games | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
| 1950 | 420 | 1,744,200 | 4,200 | 553 | 2,462,000 | 4,452 |
| 1951 | 358 | 1,414,600 | 3,950 | 386 | 2,248,000 | 5,824 |
| 1952 | 403 | 2,284,100 | 5,668 | 420 | 2,901,829 | 6,909 |
| 1953 | 420 | 3,475,700 | 8,275 | 385 | 3,578,573 | 9,295 |
| 1954 | 560 | 3,490,930 | 6,234 | 390 | 4,105,108 | 10,526 |
| 1955 | 569 | 3,095,600 | 5,440 | 390 | 4,217,118 | 10,813 |
| 1956 | 616 | 3,050,340 | 4,950 | 390 | 4,486,886 | 11,505 |
| 1957 | 462 | 2,891,700 | 6,259 | 390 | 5,467,900 | 14,020 |
| 1958 | 390 | 3,585,100 | 9,190 | 390 | 5,299,100 | 13,587 |
| 1959 | 408 | 3,729,916 | 9,142 | 390 | 4,769,065 | 12,228 |
| 1960 | 402 | 2,800,302 | 6,966 | 390 | 5,304,159 | 13,600 |
| 1961 | 420 | 3,476,790 | 8,278 | 390 | 5,241,800 | 13,441 |
| 1962 | 398 | 3,894,277 | 9,785 | 401 | 5,706,009 | 14,229 |
| 1963 | 450 | 3,847,918 | 8,551 | 420 | 5,883,375 | 14,008 |
| 1964 | 450 | 3,418,935 | 7,598 | 420 | 6,270,820 | 14,931 |
| 1965 | 420 | 2,501,361 | 5,956 | 420 | 6,251,500 | 14,885 |
| 1966 | 404 | 2,709,571 | 6,707 | 401 | 6,108,850 | 15,234 |
| 1967 | 405 | 2,744,593 | 6,777 | 406 | 5,610,150 | 13,818 |
| 1968 | 406 | 2,847,350 | 7,013 | 401 | 6,069,900 | 15,137 |
| 1969 | 390 | 3,018,472 | 7,700 | 390 | 6,578,400 | 16,868 |
| 1970 | 390 | 3,038,530 | 7,800 | 390 | 6,542,750 | 16,776 |
| 1971 | 390 | 2,595,900 | 6,700 | 390 | 6,021,200 | 15,439 |
| 1972 | 390 | 2,539,800 | 6,500 | 390 | 6,195,500 | 15,886 |
| 1973 | 390 | 4,060,200 | 10,400 | 390 | 7,650,800 | 19,617 |
| 1974 | 390 | 3,501,300 | 9,000 | 390 | 7,595,200 | 19,475 |
| 1975 | 390 | 3,201,900 | 8,200 | 390 | 9,479,500 | 24,306 |
| 1976 | 390 | 3,344,600 | 8,600 | 390 | 9,070,000 | 23,256 |
| 1977 | 390 | 4,114,000 | 10,500 | 390 | 9,114,000 | 23,369 |
| 1978 | 390 | 4,114,500 | 10,600 | 390 | 9,988,000 | 25,610 |
| 1979 | 390 | 5,220,000 | 13,400 | 390 | 10,752,000 | 27,569 |
| 1980 | 390 | 5,797,500 | 14,900 | 390 | 10,322,000 | 26,467 |
| 1981 | 390 | 5,546,300 | 14,200 | 390 | 10,110,000 | 25,923 |
| 1982 | 390 | 4,817,200 | 12,400 | 390 | 10,928,500 | 28,022 |
| 1983 | 390 | 4,991,000 | 12,800 | 390 | 10,477,000 | 26,864 |
| 1984 | 390 | 5,162,300 | 13,200 | 390 | 11,010,000 | 28,231 |
| 1985 | 390 | 4,727,500 | 12,100 | 390 | 11,413,500 | 29,265 |
| 1986 | 390 | 6,323,700 | 16,200 | 390 | 11,367,000 | 29,146 |
| 1987 | 390 | 6,947,000 | 17,800 | 390 | 12,061,500 | 30,927 |
| 1988 | 390 | 8,271,500 | 21,200 | 390 | 12,239,000 | 31,382 |
| 1989 | 390 | 8,768,000 | 22,500 | 390 | 12,048,500 | 30,894 |
| 1990 | 390 | 8,609,000 | 22,100 | 393 | 12,020,000 | 30,585 |
| 1991 | 390 | 9,474,000 | 24,300 | 393 | 12,391,000 | 31,529 |
| 1992 | 390 | 9,522,000 | 24,400 | 392 | 13,841,000 | 35,309 |
| 1993 | 390 | 9,291,000 | 23,800 | 394 | 13,440,000 | 34,112 |
| 1994 | 390 | 9,560,000 | 24,500 | 390 | 13,140,000 | 33,692 |
| 1995 | 390 | 9,646,000 | 24,700 | 391 | 12,345,000 | 31,573 |
| 1996 | 390 | 8,877,000 | 22,800 | 390 | 12,223,000 | 31,341 |
| 1997 | 405 | 10,012,500 | 24,700 | 407 | 13,483,500 | 33,129 |
| 1998 | 405 | 8,660,500 | 21,400 | 406 | 13,004,000 | 32,030 |
| 1999 | 405 | 9,071,000 | 22,400 | 405 | 13,339,500 | 32,937 |
| 2000 | 405 | 9,567,500 | 23,600 | 407 | 12,873,500 | 31,630 |
| 2001 | 420 | 10,124,000 | 24,100 | 420 | 12,799,500 | 30,475 |
| 2002 | 420 | 9,709,000 | 23,100 | 420 | 13,243,500 | 31,532 |
| 2003 | 420 | 10,144,000 | 24,200 | 420 | 13,520,500 | 32,192 |
| 2004 | 399 | 10,684,000 | 26,800 | 414 | 13,770,000 | 33,261 |
| 2005 | 408 | 8,252,042 | 20,226 | 438 | 11,672,571 | 26,650 |
| 2006 | 408 | 8,529,281 | 20,905 | 438 | 11,877,677 | 27,118 |
| 2007 | 432 | 9,046,670 | 20,941 | 432 | 12,140,359 | 28,103 |
| 2008 | 432 | 9,555,016 | 22,118 | 432 | 12,083,181 | 27,970 |
| 2009 | 432 | 9,707,451 | 22,471 | 432 | 12,692,228 | 29,380 |
| 2010 | 432 | 9,832,981 | 22,762 | 432 | 12,308,022 | 28,491 |
| 2011 | 432 | 9,777,852 | 22,634 | 432 | 11,792,344 | 27,297 |
| 2012 | 432 | 9,579,690 | 22,175 | 432 | 11,790,536 | 27,293 |
| 2013 | 432 | 9,845,482 | 22,790 | 432 | 12,202,009 | 28,245 |
NPB changed their counting method in 2005. Since then, the numbers have dropped. In the present days, the figure means the number of sold tickets. So it includes someone who did not show up at the game in despite of having a ticket.
It is widely believed these figures are watered numbers. It means that the number of actual attendees was less than the record. Each host team reports the fake number to pretend they are popular.
The game's attendance figure is announced in the stadium during the game. Some fan laugh at the exaggerated number when they heard it. "I can't see one third of them."
Source is Nippon Professional Baseball.
www.npb.or.jp/statistics/
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