Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan
Japan: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Japan, 1996–2025
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 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan peaked at 2.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 1996.
That places Japan 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 1.38 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +15.8% |
| 2002 | 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.31 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 1.43 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 1.36 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.37 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.37 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 1.35 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.47 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 1.76 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +20.2% |
| 2015 | 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.87 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 1.74 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -6.7% |
| 2022 | 2.05 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +17.7% |
| 2023 | 2.03 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 2.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.05 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.9× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Japan's 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1855 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 11.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.16 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.19 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.43 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.62 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.35 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.97 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 1.74 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 1 Singapore 2.09 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 3 Luxembourg 1.98 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 4 Switzerland 1.97 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
- 5 Denmark 1.96 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
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 government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan?
- Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Japan was 2.04 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, 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 2.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024.
- What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 1996.
- How does Japan rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
- Japan ranks 2nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. 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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About this data
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.