Employees in Japan

Japan: Employees was 60,461 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
60,461
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
5th
of 73 countries
All-time high
60,461
in 2023
All-time low
52,811
in 2002
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Employees in Japan, 2000–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k2000201120232000: 53.0k2001: 53.2k2002: 52.8k2003: 52.8k2004: 52.9k2005: 53.3k2006: 54.1k2007: 54.7k2008: 54.7k2009: 54.2k2010: 54.1k2011: 53.2k2012: 54.6k2013: 55.1k2014: 55.5k2015: 55.9k2016: 56.9k2017: 57.8k2018: 58.9k2019: 59.6k2020: 59.4k2021: 59.4k2022: 60.1k2023: 60.5k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2023, employees in Japan stood at 60,461. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employees in Japan peaked at 60,461 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 52,811, in 2002.

Japan ranks 5th of 73 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Employees in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Employees (15+) in Japan, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 52,986
2001 53,195 +0.4%
2002 52,811 -0.7%
2003 52,813 +0.0%
2004 52,944 +0.2%
2005 53,349 +0.8%
2006 54,078 +1.4%
2007 54,735 +1.2%
2008 54,712 -0.0%
2009 54,173 -1.0%
2010 54,098 -0.1%
2011 53,187 -1.7%
2012 54,619 +2.7%
2013 55,071 +0.8%
2014 55,539 +0.8%
2015 55,938 +0.7%
2016 56,887 +1.7%
2017 57,765 +1.5%
2018 58,922 +2.0%
2019 59,637 +1.2%
2020 59,354 -0.5%
2021 59,407 +0.1%
2022 60,101 +1.2%
2023 60,461 +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 53,580 52,811 54,735 10
2010s 56,166 53,187 59,637 10
2020s 59,831 59,354 60,461 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 2 India 120,546 compare
  2. 3 Brazil 71,140 compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 63,988 compare
  4. 6 Mexico 41,322 compare
  5. 7 Pakistan 32,982 compare
  6. 8 Philippines 29,708 compare

See the full ranking of 73 places →

More work & labour data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is employees in Japan?
Employees in Japan was 60,461 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employees recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 60,461 in 2023.
What is the lowest employees recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 52,811 in 2002.
How does Japan rank for employees?
Japan ranks 5th out of 73 countries with data for 2023.
Is employees rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employees (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employees in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employees-15/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Employees (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
73 places, 872 data points, 1993–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs, which are those where the incumbents hold employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.