Female labor force participation rates in Japan
Japan: Female labor force participation rates was 55.91 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
55.91
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
76th
of 186 countries
All-time high
55.91
in 2025
All-time low
48.03
in 2012
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Japan, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Japan recorded 55.91 for female labor force participation rates in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Japan peaked at 55.91 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 48.03, in 2012.
That places Japan 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 50.06 | — |
| 1991 | 50.63 | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 50.67 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 50.27 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 50.11 | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 49.91 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 49.97 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 50.32 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 50.06 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 49.52 | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 49.19 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 49.05 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 48.46 | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 48.16 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 48.16 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 48.28 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 48.4 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 48.39 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 48.36 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 48.44 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 48.34 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 48.09 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 48.03 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 48.74 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 49.18 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 49.41 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 50.21 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 51.03 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 52.37 | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 53.24 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 53.09 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 53.46 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 54.17 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 54.85 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 55.6 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 55.91 | +0.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 55.91 is above the median for high income countries, which is 55.09, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 55.91 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.91, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.15 | 49.52 | 50.67 | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.49 | 48.16 | 49.19 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.86 | 48.03 | 53.24 | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.51 | 53.09 | 55.91 | 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 female labor force participation rates in Japan?
- Female labor force participation rates in Japan was 55.91 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 55.91 in 2025.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.03 in 2012.
- How does Japan rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Japan ranks 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. 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 participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).