Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan
Japan: Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings was 25.7% in 2015. ▼ Falling
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan, 1975–2015
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2015, unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan stood at 25.7%. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan peaked at 42.4% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2015.
That places Japan 2nd out of 29 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 42.4% | — |
| 1976 | 39.7% | -6.4% |
| 1977 | 40.3% | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 40.6% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 41.3% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 41.7% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 42.0% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 42.2% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 41.9% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 41.9% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 41.7% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 41.6% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 41.2% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 41.0% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 41.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 40.6% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 39.9% | -1.7% |
| 1992 | 38.9% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 38.5% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 37.8% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 37.1% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 36.8% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 36.5% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 35.3% | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 34.6% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 33.9% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 33.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 32.5% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 32.0% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 31.1% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 32.8% | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 31.7% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 30.7% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 28.3% | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 28.7% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 27.4% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 25.9% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 25.7% | -0.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 25.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.4%, 1.8× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 40.9% | 39.7% | 42.4% | 5 |
| 1980s | 41.6% | 41.0% | 42.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.6% | 34.6% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.0% | 28.3% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.8% | 25.7% | 28.7% | 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 unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan?
- Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in Japan was 25.7% in 2015, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 42.4% in 1975.
- What is the lowest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2015.
- How does Japan rank for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings?
- Japan ranks 2nd out of 29 countries with data for 2015.
- Is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The gender wage gap is unadjusted and is defined as the difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men. Estimates refer to full-time employees and to self-employed workers.