Government spending per capita in Japan
Japan: Government spending per capita was 20,594 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending per capita in Japan, 2007–2024
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in current international-$.
Analysis
Japan recorded 20,594 current international-$ for government spending per capita in 2024. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 30.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending per capita in Japan peaked at 20,594 current international-$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12,113 current international-$, in 2007.
That places Japan 34th out of 43 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending per capita in Japan, year by year
| Year | current international-$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 12,113 current international-$ | — |
| 2008 | 12,577 current international-$ | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 13,524 current international-$ | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 13,908 current international-$ | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 14,569 current international-$ | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 15,134 current international-$ | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 15,913 current international-$ | +5.2% |
| 2014 | 15,810 current international-$ | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 15,888 current international-$ | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 15,746 current international-$ | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 15,861 current international-$ | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 16,161 current international-$ | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 16,613 current international-$ | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 19,619 current international-$ | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 19,543 current international-$ | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 20,459 current international-$ | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 20,594 current international-$ | +0.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 20,594 current international-$ is below the median for high income countries, which is 26,582 current international-$, 77% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Japan's 20,594 current international-$ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,401 current international-$, 96% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12,738 current international-$ | 12,113 current international-$ | 13,524 current international-$ | 3 |
| 2010s | 15,560 current international-$ | 13,908 current international-$ | 16,613 current international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,054 current international-$ | 19,543 current international-$ | 20,594 current international-$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 31 South Korea 21,401 current international-$ compare
- 32 Romania 21,349 current international-$ compare
- 33 Greece 21,055 current international-$ compare
- 35 Latvia 19,891 current international-$ compare
- 36 Bulgaria 16,432 current international-$ compare
- 37 Costa Rica 11,794 current international-$ 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 spending per capita in Japan?
- Government spending per capita in Japan was 20,594 current international-$ in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending per capita recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 20,594 current international-$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest government spending per capita recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,113 current international-$ in 2007.
- How does Japan rank for government spending per capita?
- Japan ranks 34th out of 43 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending per capita rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.