Number of clinical trials in Japan

Japan: Number of clinical trials was 138 trials in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
138 trials
Change on year
down 15.3%
World rank
21st
of 153 countries
All-time high
249 trials
in 2014
All-time low
1 trials
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2024

Number of clinical trials in Japan, 2000–2024

0501001502002502000201220242000: 1 trials2001: 2 trials2003: 8 trials2004: 24 trials2005: 42 trials2006: 62 trials2007: 95 trials2008: 163 trials2009: 166 trials2010: 237 trials2011: 194 trials2012: 234 trials2013: 230 trials2014: 249 trials2015: 230 trials2016: 237 trials2017: 244 trials2018: 241 trials2019: 198 trials2020: 171 trials2021: 178 trials2022: 172 trials2023: 163 trials2024: 138 trials

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in trials.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of clinical trials in Japan is 138 trials, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.3% on the previous year and down 44.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of clinical trials in Japan peaked at 249 trials in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1 trials, in 2000.

Japan ranks 21st of 153 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 62.56 trials 1 trials 166 trials 9
2010s 229.4 trials 194 trials 249 trials 10
2020s 164.4 trials 138 trials 178 trials 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 18 Brazil 163 trials compare
  2. 19 Sweden 162 trials compare
  3. 20 Australia 158 trials compare
  4. 22 India 131 trials compare
  5. 23 Poland 121 trials compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of clinical trials in Japan?
Number of clinical trials in Japan was 138 trials in 2024, according to ClinicalTrials.gov (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of clinical trials recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 249 trials in 2014.
What is the lowest number of clinical trials recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1 trials in 2000.
How does Japan rank for number of clinical trials?
Japan ranks 21st out of 153 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of clinical trials rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from ClinicalTrials.gov (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of clinical trials. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Number of clinical trials
Unit
trials
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
153 places, 2,621 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Annual number of completed clinical trials registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database for each country. Registration in the ClinicalTrials database is mandatory for trials in the United States, but voluntary for other countries.