Labor force, female in Japan

Japan: Labor force, female was 31.57 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
31.57 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
8th
of 186 countries
All-time high
31.57 million
in 2025
All-time low
25.88 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Japan, 1990–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M1990200720251990: 25.9M1991: 26.5M1992: 26.8M1993: 26.8M1994: 26.9M1995: 27.0M1996: 27.2M1997: 27.5M1998: 27.6M1999: 27.4M2000: 27.3M2001: 27.4M2002: 27.2M2003: 27.1M2004: 27.2M2005: 27.3M2006: 27.4M2007: 27.5M2008: 27.5M2009: 27.6M2010: 27.6M2011: 27.4M2012: 27.4M2013: 27.8M2014: 28.0M2015: 28.2M2016: 28.7M2017: 29.2M2018: 29.9M2019: 30.4M2020: 30.3M2021: 30.4M2022: 30.8M2023: 31.1M2024: 31.5M2025: 31.6M

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.

Analysis

In 2025, labor force, female in Japan stood at 31.57 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Japan peaked at 31.57 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 25.88 million, in 1990.

Japan ranks 8th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 26.95 million 25.88 million 27.56 million 10
2000s 27.35 million 27.12 million 27.60 million 10
2010s 28.46 million 27.39 million 30.42 million 10
2020s 30.94 million 30.30 million 31.57 million 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 5 Nigeria 56.43 million compare
  2. 6 Brazil 46.97 million compare
  3. 7 Russia 35.50 million compare
  4. 9 Vietnam 27.85 million compare
  5. 10 Bangladesh 25.43 million compare
  6. 11 Mexico 24.84 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More gender data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Japan?
Labor force, female in Japan was 31.57 million in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 31.57 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 25.88 million in 1990.
How does Japan rank for labor force, female?
Japan ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Labor force, female
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Female labor force comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.