Aid, poverty & equality · East Asia & Pacific · High income
Japan: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 1.2% (2020), 83rd of 151 in the world and 9th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $4.20/day is 1.6% (2020), 99th of 151 in the world and 12th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $8.30/day is 3.3% (2020), 115th of 151 in the world and 14th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific.
Extreme poverty
JapanEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
JapanEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
10 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Japan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.2%2020 | 83/151 | 9/17 | · | 0.6% | 1.2% | +0.6 ppsince 2010 | 2.0% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.6%2020 | 99/151 | 12/17 | · | 0.9% | 1.6% | +0.7 ppsince 2010 | 5.5% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 3.3%2020 | 115/151 | 14/17 | · | 2.0% | 3.3% | +1.3 ppsince 2010 | 26.4% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 32.32020 | 102/151 | 11/17 | · | 31.5 | 32.3 | +2.5%since 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 24.3%2020 | 115/151 | 14/17 | · | 23.9% | 24.3% | +0.4 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 6.8%2020 | 93/151 | 15/17 | · | 7.3% | 6.8% | −0.5 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 135/167 | 19/23 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 3.5% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 6.1%2024 | 139/155 | 19/23 | · | · | 3.8% | — | 8.8% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 98.5%2024 | 13/145 | 1/16 | · | 96.4%2011 | 98.5%2021 | +1.9 ppsince 2014 | 82.8% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 15.7%2025 | 144/190 | 16/30 | 7.3% | 11.2% | 9.9% | +6.2 ppsince 2015 | 23.3% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Account ownership+1.9 pp98.5% in 2024
- Women in parliament+6.2 pp15.7% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty+0.6 pp1.2% in 2020
- Poverty, $4.20/day+0.7 pp1.6% in 2020
- Poverty, $8.30/day+1.3 pp3.3% in 2020
- Gini index+2.5%32.3 in 2020
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Japan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Japan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Japan | China | United States | Russia | Philippines | South Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 1.2%2020 | 0.0%2022 | 1.1%2024 | 0.1%2023 | 5.3%2023 | 0.1%2021 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 1.6%2020 | 0.5%2022 | 1.2%2024 | 0.2%2023 | 16.9%2023 | 0.2%2021 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 3.3%2020 | 21.3%2022 | 1.8%2024 | 0.9%2023 | 58.7%2023 | 0.5%2021 |
| Gini index | 32.32020 | 36.02022 | 41.82024 | 33.02023 | 39.32023 | 32.92021 |
| Top 10% income share | 24.3%2020 | 28.4%2022 | 30.7%2024 | 25.1%2023 | 31.6%2023 | 25.0%2021 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 6.8%2020 | 7.3%2022 | 5.1%2024 | 7.7%2023 | 6.9%2023 | 7.4%2021 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 3.4%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 6.1%2024 | — | 10.7%2024 | 2.6%2024 | 32.7%2024 | 5.8%2024 |
| Account ownership | 98.5%2024 | 89.4%2024 | 97.0%2024 | 79.3%2024 | 50.2%2024 | 96.9%2024 |