Employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan
Japan: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.6% for employers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan peaked at 3.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2025.
That places Japan 152nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.8% | — |
| 1992 | 3.7% | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -7.5% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | -3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 149 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.6% compare
- 150 Nepal 1.6% compare
- 151 Togo 1.6% compare
- 153 Zambia 1.6% compare
- 154 Kyrgyzstan 1.5% compare
- 155 Côte d'Ivoire 1.5% compare
More work & labour data for Japan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5262 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4728 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.4618 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 103,039 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,756 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 39,867 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 36,979 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 76,846 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in Japan was 1.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- Japan ranks 152nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).