Annual working hours per worker in Japan
Japan: Annual working hours per worker was 1,654 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1,654 hours per worker for annual working hours per worker in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in Japan peaked at 2,224 hours per worker in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1,646 hours per worker, in 2020.
That places Japan 97th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,101 hours per worker | 2,023 hours per worker | 2,205 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 2,203 hours per worker | 2,183 hours per worker | 2,224 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,134 hours per worker | 2,076 hours per worker | 2,185 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,103 hours per worker | 2,077 hours per worker | 2,121 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,919 hours per worker | 1,839 hours per worker | 2,049 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,817 hours per worker | 1,754 hours per worker | 1,847 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,750 hours per worker | 1,688 hours per worker | 1,781 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,651 hours per worker | 1,646 hours per worker | 1,654 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More work & labour data for Japan
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 63.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 71.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 55.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 82.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 87.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 77.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in Japan?
- Annual working hours per worker in Japan was 1,654 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2,224 hours per worker in 1961.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,646 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for annual working hours per worker?
- Japan ranks 97th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.