Unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan

Japan: Unemployment of previously employed persons was 1,910 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
1,910
Change on year
up 15.8%
World rank
4th
of 106 countries
All-time high
3,430
in 2002
All-time low
1,290
in 1991
Years of data
32
1987–2020

Unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan, 1987–2020

01.0k2.0k3.0k1987200320201987: 1.8k1988: 1.6k1989: 1.4k1990: 1.4k1991: 1.3k1992: 1.3k1993: 1.5k1994: 1.8k1995: 1.9k1996: 2.2k1997: 2.2k1998: 2.4k1999: 3.0k2000: 3.2k2001: 3.1k2002: 3.4k2003: 3.4k2004: 3.1k2005: 2.9k2006: 2.7k2007: 2.5k2008: 2.6k2009: 3.2k2010: 3.2k2012: 2.7k2013: 2.6k2015: 2.1k2016: 2.0k2017: 1.8k2018: 1.8k2019: 1.6k2020: 1.9k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2020, unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan stood at 1,910.

The figure is up 15.8% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan peaked at 3,430 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1,290, in 1991.

That places Japan 4th out of 106 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Unemployment of previously employed persons (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Japan, 1987 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1987 1,770
1988 1,640 -7.3%
1989 1,450 -11.6%
1990 1,350 -6.9%
1991 1,290 -4.4%
1992 1,300 +0.8%
1993 1,510 +16.2%
1994 1,840 +21.9%
1995 1,910 +3.8%
1996 2,160 +13.1%
1997 2,240 +3.7%
1998 2,380 +6.2%
1999 3,010 +26.5%
2000 3,180 +5.6%
2001 3,110 -2.2%
2002 3,430 +10.3%
2003 3,430 +0.0%
2004 3,070 -10.5%
2005 2,880 -6.2%
2006 2,680 -6.9%
2007 2,500 -6.7%
2008 2,560 +2.4%
2009 3,250 +27.0%
2010 3,200 -1.5%
2012 2,740 -14.4%
2013 2,580 -5.8%
2015 2,140 -17.1%
2016 2,010 -6.1%
2017 1,840 -8.5%
2018 1,760 -4.3%
2019 1,650 -6.2%
2020 1,910 +15.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1,620 1,450 1,770 3
1990s 1,899 1,290 3,010 10
2000s 3,009 2,500 3,430 10
2010s 2,240 1,650 3,200 8
2020s 1,910 1,910 1,910 1

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 Spain 2,339 compare
  2. 2 France 1,962 compare
  3. 3 Colombia 1,914 compare
  4. 5 Türkiye 1,830 compare
  5. 6 Ukraine 1,698 compare
  6. 7 Argentina 1,633 compare

See the full ranking of 106 places →

More work & labour data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan?
Unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan was 1,910 in 2020, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest unemployment of previously employed persons recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 3,430 in 2002.
What is the lowest unemployment of previously employed persons recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1,290 in 1991.
How does Japan rank for unemployment of previously employed persons?
Japan ranks 4th out of 106 countries with data for 2020.
Is unemployment of previously employed persons rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment of previously employed persons (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unemployment of previously employed persons in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-of-previously-employed-persons-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment of previously employed persons (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
106 places, 2,348 data points, 1976–2025
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. Data disaggregated by level of education are provided on the highest level of education completed, classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCED. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.