Female labor force by age in Japan
Japan: Female labor force by age was 4.00 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.00 million people
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
5th
of 188 countries
All-time high
4.00 million people
in 2024
All-time low
1.45 million people
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Female labor force by age in Japan, 1990–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Japan recorded 4.00 million people 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 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.45 million people, 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
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.45 million people | — |
| 1991 | 1.55 million people | +7.0% |
| 1992 | 1.63 million people | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 1.62 million people | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 1.67 million people | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 1.71 million people | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 1.74 million people | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.80 million people | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 1.84 million people | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.85 million people | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 1.86 million people | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 1.81 million people | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 1.81 million people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1.82 million people | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.86 million people | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 1.90 million people | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 2.01 million people | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 2.05 million people | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 2.12 million people | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.19 million people | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 2.21 million people | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.26 million people | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 2.37 million people | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 2.54 million people | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 2.73 million people | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 2.92 million people | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 3.12 million people | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 3.27 million people | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 3.53 million people | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 3.65 million people | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 3.71 million people | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 3.77 million people | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 3.80 million people | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.86 million people | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 4.00 million people | +3.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 4.00 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 39,049 people, 102.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 4.00 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 79,298 people, 50.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.69 million people | 1.45 million people | 1.85 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.94 million people | 1.81 million people | 2.19 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.86 million people | 2.21 million people | 3.65 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.83 million people | 3.71 million people | 4.00 million people | 5 |
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 female labor force by age in Japan?
- Female labor force by age in Japan was 4.00 million people in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force by age recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.00 million people in 2024.
- What is the lowest female labor force by age recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.45 million people 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 International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by 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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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Working-age population who are economically active (employed or unemployed).