Low pay rate in Japan
Japan: Low pay rate was 10.67 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Low pay rate in Japan, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, low pay rate in Japan stood at 10.67.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low pay rate in Japan peaked at 17.62 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 10.29, in 2022.
That places Japan 70th out of 84 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Low pay rate in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.62 | — |
| 1991 | 17.08 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 16.07 | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 15.88 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 15.54 | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 15.36 | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 15.32 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 15.15 | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 14.74 | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 14.58 | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 14.57 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 14.56 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 14.44 | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 14.44 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 14.3 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 16.1 | +12.6% |
| 2006 | 16.07 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 15.42 | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 15.02 | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 14.65 | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 14.48 | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 14.4 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 14.29 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 14.23 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 13.91 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 13.46 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 12.65 | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 12.32 | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 12.12 | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 11.79 | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 10.88 | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 10.66 | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 10.29 | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 10.4 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 10.47 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 10.67 | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.74 | 14.58 | 17.62 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.96 | 14.3 | 16.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.37 | 11.79 | 14.48 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.56 | 10.29 | 10.88 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More gender data for Japan
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 12,429 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.96 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 367,041 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 384,885 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 368,886 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 386,553 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 378,555 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 396,805 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 393,277 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 412,389 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is low pay rate in Japan?
- Low pay rate in Japan was 10.67 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest low pay rate recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 17.62 in 1990.
- What is the lowest low pay rate recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.29 in 2022.
- How does Japan rank for low pay rate?
- Japan ranks 70th out of 84 countries with data for 2025.
- Is low pay rate rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Low pay rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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 measure of earnings dispersion refers to the proportion of employees whose hourly earnings at all jobs were less than two-thirds of median hourly earnings. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.