Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan
Japan: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 8.47 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
8.47 billion million ton-km
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
8th
of 180 countries
All-time high
10.95 billion million ton-km
in 2021
All-time low
379.60 million million ton-km
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan stood at 8.47 billion million ton-km.
The figure is down 12.5% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan peaked at 10.95 billion million ton-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 379.60 million million ton-km, in 1970.
Japan ranks 8th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan, year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 379.60 million million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 464.10 million million ton-km | +22.3% |
| 1972 | 585.10 million million ton-km | +26.1% |
| 1973 | 753.10 million million ton-km | +28.7% |
| 1974 | 739.40 million million ton-km | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 852.90 million million ton-km | +15.4% |
| 1976 | 1.03 billion million ton-km | +20.9% |
| 1977 | 1.15 billion million ton-km | +11.3% |
| 1978 | 1.36 billion million ton-km | +18.2% |
| 1979 | 1.62 billion million ton-km | +19.8% |
| 1980 | 1.87 billion million ton-km | +15.1% |
| 1981 | 2.11 billion million ton-km | +12.9% |
| 1982 | 2.22 billion million ton-km | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 2.53 billion million ton-km | +13.8% |
| 1984 | 2.80 billion million ton-km | +10.6% |
| 1985 | 3.07 billion million ton-km | +9.8% |
| 1986 | 3.61 billion million ton-km | +17.5% |
| 1987 | 4.33 billion million ton-km | +19.9% |
| 1988 | 4.78 billion million ton-km | +10.5% |
| 1989 | 5.13 billion million ton-km | +7.3% |
| 1990 | 5.07 billion million ton-km | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 5.23 billion million ton-km | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 5.19 billion million ton-km | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 5.48 billion million ton-km | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 6.01 billion million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 1995 | 6.54 billion million ton-km | +8.8% |
| 1996 | 6.80 billion million ton-km | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 7.50 billion million ton-km | +10.3% |
| 1998 | 7.51 billion million ton-km | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 8.23 billion million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 2000 | 8.67 billion million ton-km | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 7.61 billion million ton-km | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 8.20 billion million ton-km | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 8.28 billion million ton-km | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 8.71 billion million ton-km | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 8.55 billion million ton-km | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 8.48 billion million ton-km | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 8.44 billion million ton-km | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 8.17 billion million ton-km | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 10.49 billion million ton-km | +28.3% |
| 2010 | 7.70 billion million ton-km | -26.6% |
| 2011 | 6.55 billion million ton-km | -15.0% |
| 2012 | 7.05 billion million ton-km | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 7.72 billion million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 2014 | 8.66 billion million ton-km | +12.3% |
| 2015 | 8.66 billion million ton-km | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9.36 billion million ton-km | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 10.68 billion million ton-km | +14.1% |
| 2018 | 9.42 billion million ton-km | -11.8% |
| 2019 | 8.92 billion million ton-km | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 7.84 billion million ton-km | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 10.95 billion million ton-km | +39.6% |
| 2022 | 9.69 billion million ton-km | -11.5% |
| 2023 | 8.47 billion million ton-km | -12.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 8.47 billion million ton-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 266.33 million million ton-km, 31.8× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Japan's 8.47 billion million ton-km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.27 million million ton-km, 279.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 893.34 million million ton-km | 379.60 million million ton-km | 1.62 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.24 billion million ton-km | 1.87 billion million ton-km | 5.13 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.36 billion million ton-km | 5.07 billion million ton-km | 8.23 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.56 billion million ton-km | 7.61 billion million ton-km | 10.49 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.47 billion million ton-km | 6.55 billion million ton-km | 10.68 billion million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.24 billion million ton-km | 7.84 billion million ton-km | 10.95 billion million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan?
- Tonne-kilometers of air freight in Japan was 8.47 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 10.95 billion million ton-km in 2021.
- What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 379.60 million million ton-km in 1970.
- How does Japan rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
- Japan ranks 8th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.