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Unemployment rate in Japan

How hard is it to have a job there?

Japan's unemployment rate is 2.45 % — #13 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

2.45%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Japan over time

5.39 %3.87 %2.35 %5.39 % · 20022.35 % · 20192000: 4.75 %2001: 5.02 %2002: 5.39 %2003: 5.25 %2004: 4.73 %2005: 4.45 %2006: 4.19 %2007: 3.89 %2008: 4.00 %2009: 5.07 %2010: 5.10 %2011: 4.55 %2012: 4.36 %2013: 4.04 %2014: 3.59 %2015: 3.38 %2016: 3.13 %2017: 2.82 %2018: 2.47 %2019: 2.35 %2020: 2.81 %2021: 2.81 %2022: 2.61 %2023: 2.60 %2024: 2.50 %2025: 2.45 %2000201220252.45 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#13 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
90 %
111 of 124 countries
Latest move
▼ 0.05 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
2.94 pp
peak 5.39 % in 2002
Full series
▼ 2.30 pp
since 2000

In Asia: #9 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −2.80 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Japan: ahead of 90 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentJapan 2.45 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Japan is ahead of 90 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Japan
11 Kuwait2.18 %−0.27 pp
12 Philippines2.23 %−0.22 pp
13 Japan2.45 %—
14 Papua New Guinea2.57 %+0.12 pp
15 Guatemala2.60 %+0.15 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Japan

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Japan with another country →Everything about Japan →
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