Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Japan

Japan: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 12.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
12.6%
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
184th
of 191 countries
All-time high
17.4%
in 2004
All-time low
12.0%
in 2020
Years of data
22
2000–2021

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

0510152000201020212000: 16.72001: 17.22002: 172003: 172004: 17.42005: 17.22006: 17.32007: 17.22008: 16.82009: 15.32010: 15.12011: 152012: 14.62013: 142014: 14.32015: 14.32016: 14.12017: 14.12018: 14.12019: 13.82020: 122021: 12.6

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2021, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Japan stood at 12.6%.

The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Japan peaked at 17.4% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2020.

That places Japan 184th out of 191 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Japan, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 16.7%
2001 17.2% +2.8%
2002 17.0% -0.7%
2003 17.0% -0.0%
2004 17.4% +2.0%
2005 17.2% -1.1%
2006 17.3% +0.9%
2007 17.2% -0.6%
2008 16.8% -2.6%
2009 15.3% -8.8%
2010 15.1% -1.5%
2011 15.0% -0.6%
2012 14.6% -2.4%
2013 14.0% -4.5%
2014 14.3% +2.3%
2015 14.3% -0.3%
2016 14.1% -0.9%
2017 14.1% -0.1%
2018 14.1% -0.5%
2019 13.8% -1.6%
2020 12.0% -13.2%
2021 12.6% +4.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.9% 15.3% 17.4% 10
2010s 14.3% 13.8% 15.1% 10
2020s 12.3% 12.0% 12.6% 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 181 Hong Kong, China 15.1% compare
  2. 182 Uruguay 15.1% compare
  3. 183 Albania 13.8% compare
  4. 185 Timor-Leste 12.3% compare
  5. 186 Nigeria 11.4% compare
  6. 187 Bangladesh 10.9% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Japan?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in Japan was 12.6% in 2021, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2004.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2020.
How does Japan rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
Japan ranks 184th out of 191 countries with data for 2021.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. 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 Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in Japan. Statizoid. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed