Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan
Japan: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 78.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Japan recorded 78.7% for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan peaked at 78.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 56.1%, in 1975.
That places Japan 102nd out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 64.3% | — |
| 1961 | 64.0% | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 63.3% | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 62.6% | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 62.2% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 61.9% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 62.3% | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 62.7% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 61.8% | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 61.2% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 61.0% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 59.4% | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 58.1% | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 58.7% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 56.8% | -3.2% |
| 1975 | 56.1% | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 56.4% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 57.8% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 59.0% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 59.4% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 59.6% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 59.8% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 60.4% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 61.7% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 62.1% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 62.4% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 62.5% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 62.9% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 63.4% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 64.3% | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 64.9% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 65.3% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 65.1% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 64.5% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 64.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 64.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 64.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 64.9% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 64.8% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 64.5% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 64.4% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 64.9% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 64.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 65.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 65.7% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 66.0% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 66.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 66.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 67.3% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 67.6% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 67.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 68.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 69.2% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 69.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 70.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 71.4% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 72.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 73.7% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 74.7% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 75.1% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 75.9% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 76.8% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 77.8% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 78.7% | +1.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 78.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 92% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Japan's 78.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 78.7%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 62.6% | 61.2% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 58.3% | 56.1% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.9% | 59.6% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.7% | 64.4% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.7% | 64.4% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.5% | 67.6% | 74.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.4% | 74.4% | 78.7% | 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Japan was 78.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 78.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.1% in 1975.
- How does Japan rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Japan ranks 102nd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.