Employment by status in Japan
Japan: Employment by status was 90.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Japan, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Japan is 90.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Japan peaked at 90.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 78.5%, in 1991.
That places Japan 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 78.5% | — |
| 1992 | 79.4% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 80.6% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 81.0% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 82.0% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 82.1% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 83.0% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 83.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 84.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 85.0% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 85.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.7% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 86.4% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 86.9% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 87.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 87.9% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 88.3% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 88.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 88.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 88.8% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 89.1% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 89.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 89.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 89.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 90.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 90.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 89.6% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 90.5% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 90.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 90.8% | +0.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 90.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 86.7%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 90.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 1.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.3% | 78.5% | 83.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 85.8% | 83.9% | 87.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.0% | 87.9% | 90.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.3% | 89.6% | 90.8% | 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 employment by status in Japan?
- Employment by status in Japan was 90.8% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 90.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.5% in 1991.
- How does Japan rank for employment by status?
- Japan ranks 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. 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 Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.