Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan

Japan: Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
20th
of 206 countries
All-time high
1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2016
All-time low
0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2002
Years of data
27
1996–2025

Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate in Japan, 1996–2025

0.50.7511.21.51996201020251996: 0.552 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 0.51 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 0.802 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 0.49 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 0.989 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 1 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: 1.3 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.52025: 1.2 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: World Bank. Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

Japan recorded 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for regulatory quality - governance estimate in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, regulatory quality - governance estimate in Japan peaked at 1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2002.

Japan ranks 20th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Japan, 1996 to 2025.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 0.5525 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 0.5101 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.7%
2000 0.8023 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +57.3%
2002 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -38.9%
2003 0.9887 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +101.8%
2004 1.03 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.8%
2005 1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +19.8%
2006 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.1%
2007 1.25 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.2%
2008 1.26 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.7%
2009 1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.6%
2010 1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.8%
2011 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.9%
2012 1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.1%
2013 1.34 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.8%
2014 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -4.0%
2015 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.1%
2016 1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +8.7%
2017 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -8.5%
2018 1.37 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.5%
2019 1.39 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +1.5%
2020 1.38 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.3%
2021 1.4 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +1.7%
2022 1.41 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.9%
2023 1.35 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -4.4%
2024 1.24 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -7.8%
2025 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.9%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9078 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.3× the median. (74 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is -0.0624 approx. -2.5 to +2.5. (34 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) 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
2003 +101.8% 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.9887 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
2000 +57.3% 0.5101 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.8023 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
2002 -38.9% 0.8023 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5313 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5101 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.5525 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 1.06 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.29 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 1.36 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s 1.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.41 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 17 Macao 1.38 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 18 Estonia 1.37 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 19 Lithuania 1.27 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 21 Germany 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 22 Belgium 1.21 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 23 United Arab Emirates 1.17 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is regulatory quality - governance estimate in Japan?
Regulatory quality - governance estimate in Japan was 1.22 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest regulatory quality - governance estimate recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 1.53 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2016.
What is the lowest regulatory quality - governance estimate recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4899 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002.
How does Japan rank for regulatory quality - governance estimate?
Japan ranks 20th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
Is regulatory quality - governance estimate rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate in Japan. Statizoid. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/regulatory-quality-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5-2/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Regulatory Quality - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
206 places, 5,391 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed