Prosperity gap in Japan
Japan: Prosperity gap was 1.2 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prosperity gap in Japan, 2008–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.2 for prosperity gap in 2020.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and up 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prosperity gap in Japan peaked at 1.36 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.9032, in 2015.
That places Japan 92nd out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prosperity gap in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1.36 | — |
| 2009 | 1.28 | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 0.9989 | -21.9% |
| 2011 | 1.05 | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.29 | +23.2% |
| 2013 | 1.18 | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 1.16 | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 0.9032 | -22.4% |
| 2016 | 1.01 | +12.0% |
| 2017 | 1.06 | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 1.22 | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 1.27 | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1.2 | -5.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.2 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.08, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.2 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.4, 50% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.32 | 1.28 | 1.36 | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.11 | 0.9032 | 1.29 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1 |
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 prosperity gap in Japan?
- Prosperity gap in Japan was 1.2 in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prosperity gap recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.36 in 2008.
- What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9032 in 2015.
- How does Japan rank for prosperity gap?
- Japan ranks 92nd out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prosperity gap rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Prosperity gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average factor by which incomes need to be multiplied to bring everyone to the prosperity standard of $28 per person per day.