Female labor force by age in Japan

Japan: Female labor force by age was 4.00 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
4.00 million
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
5th
of 188 countries
All-time high
4.00 million
in 2024
All-time low
1.45 million
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Female labor force by age in Japan, 1990–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1990200720241990: 1.5M1991: 1.6M1992: 1.6M1993: 1.6M1994: 1.7M1995: 1.7M1996: 1.7M1997: 1.8M1998: 1.8M1999: 1.9M2000: 1.9M2001: 1.8M2002: 1.8M2003: 1.8M2004: 1.9M2005: 1.9M2006: 2.0M2007: 2.1M2008: 2.1M2009: 2.2M2010: 2.2M2011: 2.3M2012: 2.4M2013: 2.5M2014: 2.7M2015: 2.9M2016: 3.1M2017: 3.3M2018: 3.5M2019: 3.7M2020: 3.7M2021: 3.8M2022: 3.8M2023: 3.9M2024: 4.0M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Japan recorded 4.00 million for female labor force by age in 2024. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 46.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, female labor force by age in Japan peaked at 4.00 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.45 million, in 1990.

Japan ranks 5th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Female labor force by age in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Female labor force by age in Japan, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 1.45 million —
1991 1.55 million +7.0%
1992 1.63 million +4.7%
1993 1.62 million -0.3%
1994 1.67 million +3.1%
1995 1.71 million +2.1%
1996 1.74 million +1.7%
1997 1.80 million +3.8%
1998 1.84 million +2.0%
1999 1.85 million +1.0%
2000 1.86 million +0.1%
2001 1.81 million -2.5%
2002 1.81 million -0.1%
2003 1.82 million +0.5%
2004 1.86 million +2.5%
2005 1.90 million +1.9%
2006 2.01 million +5.8%
2007 2.05 million +2.4%
2008 2.12 million +3.2%
2009 2.19 million +3.3%
2010 2.21 million +1.0%
2011 2.26 million +2.1%
2012 2.37 million +5.1%
2013 2.54 million +6.9%
2014 2.73 million +7.6%
2015 2.92 million +7.0%
2016 3.12 million +6.9%
2017 3.27 million +4.6%
2018 3.53 million +8.1%
2019 3.65 million +3.4%
2020 3.71 million +1.6%
2021 3.77 million +1.6%
2022 3.80 million +0.7%
2023 3.86 million +1.7%
2024 4.00 million +3.5%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 4.00 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 39,049, 102.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 4.00 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 79,298, 50.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.69 million 1.45 million 1.85 million 10
2000s 1.94 million 1.81 million 2.19 million 10
2010s 2.86 million 2.21 million 3.65 million 10
2020s 3.83 million 3.71 million 4.00 million 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 2 India 6.22 million compare
  2. 3 United States 5.45 million compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 4.26 million compare
  4. 6 Nigeria 2.22 million compare
  5. 7 South Korea 1.90 million compare
  6. 8 Vietnam 1.65 million compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More work & labour data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is female labor force by age in Japan?
Female labor force by age in Japan was 4.00 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest female labor force by age recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 4.00 million in 2024.
What is the lowest female labor force by age recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.45 million in 1990.
How does Japan rank for female labor force by age?
Japan ranks 5th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
Is female labor force by age rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Female labor force by age in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/female-labor-force-by-age/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Female labor force by age
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 6,816 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed