Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Japan

Japan: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate was 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
2nd
of 205 countries
All-time high
2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2024
All-time low
1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 1996
Years of data
26
1996–2024

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Japan, 1996–2024

00.511.521996201020241996: 1.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: 2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: 2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: 2.1 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan is 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan peaked at 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 1996.

That places Japan 2nd out of 205 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan, 1996 to 2024.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 1.18 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +4.8%
2000 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +18.8%
2002 1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -6.4%
2003 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.9%
2004 1.32 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +1.4%
2005 1.41 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +6.7%
2006 1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.7%
2007 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -11.1%
2008 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2009 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +2.8%
2010 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.5%
2011 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.1%
2012 1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.3%
2013 1.45 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +10.4%
2014 1.77 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +22.2%
2015 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.8%
2016 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +6.3%
2017 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.6%
2018 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +6.6%
2019 1.84 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.6%
2020 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.7%
2021 1.65 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -8.4%
2022 2.03 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +22.8%
2023 1.99 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.1%
2024 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.0%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.9× the median. (73 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0773 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 27.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.15 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.18 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 1.61 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.84 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s 1.91 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.65 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 Singapore 2.28 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 3 Luxembourg 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 4 Denmark 1.91 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 5 New Zealand 1.85 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan?
Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan was 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024.
What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.12 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996.
How does Japan rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
Japan ranks 2nd out of 205 countries with data for 2024.
Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-effectiveness-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
205 places, 5,161 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.