Japan Economy 2026

Executive summary

Japan is the world's 4th-largest economy, with a nominal GDP of $4.44 trillion (2025) according to the World Bank. Measured per person, its GDP per capita of $35,951 ranks 24th globally and sits below the OECD average of $51,734. The economy grew 1.2% in its latest year, with consumer-price inflation of 3.2% and unemployment of 2.5%. Japan has a population of 123.4 million (9th-largest among the economies tracked). Every figure below carries its World Bank series and year; the full dataset is downloadable as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

Japan — country facts

Japan's capital is Tokyo; the World Bank classifies it as a high income economy in the East Asia & Pacific region. Key reference facts:

Economic size

Japan is the world's 4th-largest economy by nominal GDP at $4.44 trillion (2025). At purchasing-power parity (PPP) — which adjusts for local price levels — its GDP is $6.84 trillion, a fairer gauge of real output. For reference, the world economy totals $118.35 trillion.

What the data says about Japan's economy

What the data says about Japan: it is a large economy but only middle-income per head — the world's 4th-largest economy by GDP yet 24th by GDP per capita ($35,951, below the OECD average of $51,734). On a purchasing-power basis it ranks 26th.

The latest data indicates an economy growing more slowly than the OECD (1.2% vs 1.8%), with inflation of 3.2% and unemployment of 2.5%. Exports worth 22.0% of GDP make it relatively domestically-oriented.

Taken together, the indicators point to a developing or middle-income economy with room to catch up to the frontier — context for reading Japan's individual metrics against global peers below.

Living standards

GDP per capita — output per person — is $35,951 (24th globally), below the OECD average of $51,734 and the world average of $14,406. At PPP it is $55,422. GNI per capita — income including flows from abroad — is $38,340, a useful cross-check.

Economic growth

Real GDP grew 1.2% in the latest year. The chart tracks Japan's growth against Sweden over the past decade.

Inflation

Consumer-price inflation was 3.2% in Japan's latest year, against a world backdrop of disinflation from the 2022–2023 shock.

Labour market

The unemployment rate (ILO-modelled, for cross-country comparison) was 2.5%.

Trade & structure

Exports equal 22.0% of GDP and industry accounts for 26.8% of value added — indicators of how open and how industrialised the economy is.

Population

Japan has 123.4 million people (9th-largest of the economies tracked), the denominator behind every per-capita figure above.

All indicators at a glance

Every tracked indicator for Japan, with its world rank and reference year.

Japan vs regional peers

How Japan compares with other Asia-Pacific economies Affärslivet tracks, on the headline measures (Japan marked ★). Regional peers are the fairest benchmark — similar development stage and shared shocks.

Limitations & notes

Every figure here is an official World Bank series for Japan, carried at the latest year each indicator reports — reporting lags differ, so some numbers are a year or two older than others (each carries its year). World ranks are computed across the economies Affärslivet tracks, not all ~200 countries, so they indicate Japan's standing among major economies rather than a global absolute. The profile describes the economy's measured structure, not its causes or outlook; nothing is estimated by Affärslivet. The full dataset is free to download and reproduce below.

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

Methodology & verification

This profile compiles World Bank Open Data indicators for Japan, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. GDP is shown in both nominal (current US$) and PPP (international $) terms; growth and inflation are annual percentages; unemployment uses the ILO-modelled estimate. World ranks are computed across the ~50 major economies tracked and are indicative, not exhaustive. Each value is the latest year available; missing values are shown n/a, never estimated. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

GDP (nominal)

Gross domestic product at current market prices and exchange rates. ↗

GDP (PPP)

GDP converted at purchasing-power parity, adjusting for price-level differences between countries. ↗

GDP per capita

GDP divided by population — a gauge of average prosperity. ↗

GNI per capita

Gross national income per person, including net income from abroad. ↗

Inflation (CPI)

Annual percentage change in consumer prices. ↗

Unemployment (ILO)

Share of the labour force without work but seeking it, on the internationally comparable ILO definition. ↗

World Bank Open Data

A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗

Sources

• World Bank Open Data — Japan
• World Bank — country metadata (capital, income group)
• World Bank Open Data (home)
• IMF World Economic Outlook
• OECD Data
• Affärslivet — Sweden Economic Indicators

Related reports & data

• China Economy
• India Economy
• South Korea Economy
• Australia Economy
• Largest Economies in the World
• Affärslivet Business Climate Index
• Sweden Economic Indicators