Labour force participation in Japan
The ILO estimates that 63.4% of people aged 15 and over in Japan were in the labour force in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest since 1997.
Japan, 2025
63.4%
Change from 2024
+0.1percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Median of OECD (38 countries), 2025
61.6%
Position in 2025
79th of 181
Labour force participation in Japan over time
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Japan
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | Japan | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 63.4% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 63.3% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 62.9% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 62.5% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 62.1% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 61.9% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 62.0% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 61.4% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 60.4% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 60.0% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of +0.1 percentage points from 63.3% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 59.5%, the figure has changed by +3.9 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, Japan has the 79th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for Japan
All statistics for Japan
Women's labour force participation
55.9%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
61.9%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Monthly unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
2.4%
September 2026 · Eurostat
Monthly youth unemployment
3.5%
September 2026 · Eurostat
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
2.5%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
3.9%
2025 · ILOSTAT