Employment in Japan
Japan: Employment was 68,280 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
68,280
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
10th
of 174 countries
All-time high
68,280
in 2025
All-time low
50,400
in 1969
Years of data
57
1969–2025
Employment in Japan, 1969–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in Japan is 68,280, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Japan peaked at 68,280 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 50,400, in 1969.
That places Japan 10th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Employment in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 50,400 | — |
| 1970 | 50,940 | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 51,210 | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 51,260 | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 52,590 | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 52,370 | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 52,230 | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 52,710 | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 53,420 | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 54,080 | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 54,790 | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 55,360 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 55,810 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 56,380 | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 57,330 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 57,660 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 58,070 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 58,530 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 59,110 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 60,110 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 61,280 | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 62,493 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 63,688 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 64,363 | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 64,522 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 64,529 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 64,566 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 64,858 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 65,567 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 65,142 | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 64,623 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 63,685 | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 63,438 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 62,624 | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 62,450 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 62,545 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 62,823 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 63,063 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 63,513 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 63,233 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 62,267 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 61,935 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 60,587 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 62,177 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 62,561 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 62,998 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 63,201 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 63,958 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 64,815 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 66,130 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 66,769 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 66,330 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 66,266 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 66,854 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 67,141 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 67,810 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 68,280 | +0.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 68,280 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 30.5× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Japan's 68,280 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,872, 36.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50,400 | 50,400 | 50,400 | 1 |
| 1970s | 52,560 | 50,940 | 54,790 | 10 |
| 1980s | 57,964 | 55,360 | 61,280 | 10 |
| 1990s | 64,435 | 62,493 | 65,567 | 10 |
| 2000s | 62,964 | 62,267 | 63,685 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63,513 | 60,587 | 66,769 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67,113 | 66,266 | 68,280 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
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 employment in Japan?
- Employment in Japan was 68,280 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 68,280 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 50,400 in 1969.
- How does Japan rank for employment?
- Japan ranks 10th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. 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 Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).