Unemployment rate for young people in Japan
Japan: Unemployment rate for young people was 3.9 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3.9
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
168th
of 186 countries
All-time high
10.2
in 2003
All-time low
3.67
in 2018
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Japan, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate for young people in Japan stood at 3.9.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 28.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Japan peaked at 10.2 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3.67, in 2018.
That places Japan 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.46 | — |
| 1992 | 4.35 | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 5.11 | +17.2% |
| 1994 | 5.45 | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 6.1 | +11.8% |
| 1996 | 6.73 | +10.4% |
| 1997 | 6.65 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 7.73 | +16.3% |
| 1999 | 9.3 | +20.3% |
| 2000 | 9.21 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 9.6 | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 10.06 | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 10.2 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 9.57 | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 8.71 | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 8.3 | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 7.87 | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 7.31 | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 9.21 | +25.9% |
| 2010 | 9.46 | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 8.32 | -12.0% |
| 2012 | 8.24 | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 6.81 | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 6.3 | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 5.47 | -13.1% |
| 2016 | 5.12 | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 4.61 | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 3.67 | -20.5% |
| 2019 | 3.94 | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 4.68 | +18.8% |
| 2021 | 4.71 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 4.43 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 4.12 | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 3.93 | -4.5% |
| 2025 | 3.9 | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.21 | 4.35 | 9.3 | 9 |
| 2000s | 9 | 7.31 | 10.2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.19 | 3.67 | 9.46 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.29 | 3.9 | 4.71 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 165 Republic of Moldova 4.2 compare
- 166 Uganda 4.18 compare
- 167 Côte d'Ivoire 4.01 compare
- 169 Mali 3.88 compare
- 170 Kazakhstan 3.81 compare
- 171 Papua New Guinea 3.79 compare
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 unemployment rate for young people in Japan?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Japan was 3.9 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 10.2 in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.67 in 2018.
- How does Japan rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Japan ranks 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.8%. 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 Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).