Germany vs Japan: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024
Germany
54.9%
in 2025
Japan
55.1%
in 2025
Germany rank
63rd
Japan rank
62nd
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 over time
- Germany
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 55.1% against 54.9% in Germany, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1983 it was Japan ahead.
Germany ranks 63rd and Japan ranks 62nd of 172 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.1% | 47.6% | 9.5% | Japan |
| 1990s | 43.5% | 48.7% | 5.2% | Japan |
| 2000s | 46.3% | 46.4% | 0.1% | Japan |
| 2010s | 52.5% | 48.3% | 4.2% | Germany |
| 2020s | 54.5% | 53.3% | 1.2% | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024, Germany or Japan?
- Japan, at 55.1% against 54.9% in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 between Germany and Japan?
- 0.2%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Japan?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2025.
- How do Germany and Japan rank globally for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- Germany ranks 63rd and Japan ranks 62nd of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.