Capital intensity in Japan

Japan: Capital intensity was 161 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
161
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
16th
of 23 countries
All-time high
161
in 2015
All-time low
1
in 1890
Years of data
126
1890–2015

Capital intensity in Japan, 1890–2015

050100150189019522015

Source: Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, capital intensity in Japan stood at 161. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, capital intensity in Japan peaked at 161 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1890.

That places Japan 16th out of 23 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Capital intensity in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Capital intensity in Japan, 1890 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1890 1 —
1891 1 +0.0%
1892 1 +0.0%
1893 1 +0.0%
1894 1 +0.0%
1895 1 +0.0%
1896 1 +0.0%
1897 1 +0.0%
1898 1 +0.0%
1899 1 +0.0%
1900 1 +0.0%
1901 1 +0.0%
1902 1 +0.0%
1903 1 +0.0%
1904 1 +0.0%
1905 1 +0.0%
1906 1 +0.0%
1907 1 +0.0%
1908 1 +0.0%
1909 1 +0.0%
1910 1 +0.0%
1911 1 +0.0%
1912 2 +100.0%
1913 2 +0.0%
1914 2 +0.0%
1915 2 +0.0%
1916 2 +0.0%
1917 2 +0.0%
1918 2 +0.0%
1919 2 +0.0%
1920 2 +0.0%
1921 2 +0.0%
1922 2 +0.0%
1923 2 +0.0%
1924 2 +0.0%
1925 2 +0.0%
1926 2 +0.0%
1927 3 +50.0%
1928 3 +0.0%
1929 3 +0.0%
1930 3 +0.0%
1931 3 +0.0%
1932 3 +0.0%
1933 3 +0.0%
1934 4 +33.3%
1935 4 +0.0%
1936 4 +0.0%
1937 4 +0.0%
1938 4 +0.0%
1939 4 +0.0%
1940 5 +25.0%
1941 5 +0.0%
1942 5 +0.0%
1943 6 +20.0%
1944 6 +0.0%
1945 4 -33.3%
1946 5 +25.0%
1947 5 +0.0%
1948 5 +0.0%
1949 6 +20.0%
1950 6 +0.0%
1951 6 +0.0%
1952 6 +0.0%
1953 6 +0.0%
1954 7 +16.7%
1955 7 +0.0%
1956 7 +0.0%
1957 7 +0.0%
1958 8 +14.3%
1959 9 +12.5%
1960 9 +0.0%
1961 10 +11.1%
1962 12 +20.0%
1963 13 +8.3%
1964 15 +15.4%
1965 16 +6.7%
1966 17 +6.2%
1967 19 +11.8%
1968 21 +10.5%
1969 24 +14.3%
1970 27 +12.5%
1971 30 +11.1%
1972 34 +13.3%
1973 37 +8.8%
1974 42 +13.5%
1975 46 +9.5%
1976 48 +4.3%
1977 50 +4.2%
1978 53 +6.0%
1979 56 +5.7%
1980 59 +5.4%
1981 62 +5.1%
1982 65 +4.8%
1983 66 +1.5%
1984 68 +3.0%
1985 71 +4.4%
1986 74 +4.2%
1987 77 +4.1%
1988 81 +5.2%
1989 85 +4.9%
1990 89 +4.7%
1991 93 +4.5%
1992 99 +6.5%
1993 105 +6.1%
1994 109 +3.8%
1995 112 +2.8%
1996 116 +3.6%
1997 120 +3.4%
1998 127 +5.8%
1999 133 +4.7%
2000 136 +2.3%
2001 141 +3.7%
2002 146 +3.5%
2003 147 +0.7%
2004 148 +0.7%
2005 150 +1.4%
2006 149 -0.7%
2007 150 +0.7%
2008 153 +2.0%
2009 159 +3.9%
2010 158 -0.6%
2011 158 +0.0%
2012 158 +0.0%
2013 160 +1.3%
2014 160 +0.0%
2015 161 +0.6%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 161 is below the median for high income countries, which is 198, 81% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Capital intensity in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1912 +100.0% 1 2
1927 +50.0% 2 3
1934 +33.3% 3 4
1945 -33.3% 6 4
1940 +25.0% 4 5
1946 +25.0% 4 5

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 1 1 1 10
1900s 1 1 1 10
1910s 1.8 1 2 10
1920s 2.3 2 3 10
1930s 3.6 3 4 10
1940s 5.2 4 6 10
1950s 6.9 6 9 10
1960s 15.6 9 24 10
1970s 42.3 27 56 10
1980s 70.8 59 85 10
1990s 110.3 89 133 10
2000s 147.9 136 159 10
2010s 159.17 158 161 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 13 Spain 190 compare
  2. 14 Switzerland 183 compare
  3. 15 Italy 182 compare
  4. 17 United Kingdom 153 compare
  5. 18 New Zealand 131 compare
  6. 19 Portugal 119 compare

See the full ranking of 23 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is capital intensity in Japan?
Capital intensity in Japan was 161 in 2015, according to Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest capital intensity recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 161 in 2015.
What is the lowest capital intensity recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1890.
How does Japan rank for capital intensity?
Japan ranks 16th out of 23 countries with data for 2015.
Is capital intensity rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Capital intensity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Capital intensity in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/capital-intensity/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Capital intensity
Source
Bergeaud et al. (2016) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
23 places, 2,898 data points, 1890–2015
Last refreshed

Capital intensity is defined as the total stock of capital divided by the total hours worked. This is measured in 2010 international-$ per hour.