Population by labor force status bars in Japan

Japan: Population by labor force status bars was 13.83 million in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
13.83 million
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
29th
of 186 countries
All-time high
21.55 million
in 1991
All-time low
13.83 million
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status bars in Japan, 1991–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1991200820251991: 21.6M1992: 21.0M1993: 20.5M1994: 20.0M1995: 19.7M1996: 19.3M1997: 19.0M1998: 18.7M1999: 18.5M2000: 18.3M2001: 18.1M2002: 17.9M2003: 17.8M2004: 17.7M2005: 17.6M2006: 17.5M2007: 17.4M2008: 17.3M2009: 17.3M2010: 17.1M2011: 17.0M2012: 16.9M2013: 16.7M2014: 16.5M2015: 16.3M2016: 16.2M2017: 16.0M2018: 15.9M2019: 15.7M2020: 15.4M2021: 15.1M2022: 14.8M2023: 14.5M2024: 14.2M2025: 13.8M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, population by labor force status bars in Japan stood at 13.83 million. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status bars in Japan peaked at 21.55 million in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.83 million, in 2025.

Japan ranks 29th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Population by labor force status bars in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Population by labor force status bars in Japan, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 21.55 million —
1992 20.98 million -2.6%
1993 20.47 million -2.4%
1994 20.03 million -2.1%
1995 19.65 million -1.9%
1996 19.31 million -1.7%
1997 19.02 million -1.5%
1998 18.75 million -1.4%
1999 18.49 million -1.4%
2000 18.27 million -1.2%
2001 18.09 million -1.0%
2002 17.94 million -0.8%
2003 17.81 million -0.8%
2004 17.69 million -0.6%
2005 17.59 million -0.6%
2006 17.50 million -0.5%
2007 17.41 million -0.5%
2008 17.34 million -0.4%
2009 17.25 million -0.5%
2010 17.14 million -0.6%
2011 17.02 million -0.7%
2012 16.88 million -0.8%
2013 16.72 million -1.0%
2014 16.54 million -1.1%
2015 16.35 million -1.1%
2016 16.18 million -1.0%
2017 16.02 million -1.0%
2018 15.85 million -1.0%
2019 15.67 million -1.2%
2020 15.44 million -1.5%
2021 15.14 million -1.9%
2022 14.82 million -2.1%
2023 14.49 million -2.3%
2024 14.15 million -2.3%
2025 13.83 million -2.2%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 13.83 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170, 14.7× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 13.83 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million, 12.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 19.81 million 18.49 million 21.55 million 9
2000s 17.69 million 17.25 million 18.27 million 10
2010s 16.44 million 15.67 million 17.14 million 10
2020s 14.65 million 13.83 million 15.44 million 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 26 South Africa 16.66 million compare
  2. 27 Mozambique 15.74 million compare
  3. 28 Algeria 14.20 million compare
  4. 30 Cote d'Ivoire 13.23 million compare
  5. 31 Myanmar 13.21 million compare
  6. 32 Niger 12.91 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status bars in Japan?
Population by labor force status bars in Japan was 13.83 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status bars recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 21.55 million in 1991.
What is the lowest population by labor force status bars recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 13.83 million in 2025.
How does Japan rank for population by labor force status bars?
Japan ranks 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status bars rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status bars. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population by labor force status bars in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-by-labor-force-status-bars/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status bars
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed