Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Japan

Japan: Wage bill as a percentage of GDP was 5.3% in 2021. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2021)
5.3%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
145th
of 190 countries
All-time high
6.0%
in 2001
All-time low
5.2%
in 2019
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 2000–2021

02462000201020212000: 62001: 62002: 62003: 62004: 5.92005: 5.82006: 5.72007: 5.72008: 5.72009: 5.92010: 5.72011: 5.82012: 5.72013: 5.42014: 5.52015: 5.32016: 5.32017: 5.22018: 5.22019: 5.22020: 5.42021: 5.3

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2021, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Japan stood at 5.3%.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Japan peaked at 6.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 2019.

Japan ranks 145th of 190 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.9% 5.7% 6.0% 10
2010s 5.4% 5.2% 5.8% 10
2020s 5.3% 5.3% 5.4% 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 142 Jordan 5.5% compare
  2. 143 Armenia 5.4% compare
  3. 144 Colombia 5.4% compare
  4. 146 Malaysia 5.3% compare
  5. 147 Indonesia 5.2% compare
  6. 148 Zimbabwe 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places β†’

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Japan?
Wage bill as a percentage of gdp in Japan was 5.3% in 2021, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 2001.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 2019.
How does Japan rank for wage bill as a percentage of gdp?
Japan ranks 145th out of 190 countries with data for 2021.
Is wage bill as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of GDP in Japan. Statizoid. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of GDP
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 4,104 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed