Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan
Japan: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 68.31 million people in 2020. ▬ Flat
Latest (2020)
68.31 million people
Change on year
up 7.2%
World rank
3rd
of 120 countries
All-time high
68.65 million people
in 2010
All-time low
63.51 million people
in 2014
Years of data
13
2008–2020
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan, 2008–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2020, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan stood at 68.31 million people.
The figure is up 7.2% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan peaked at 68.65 million people in 2010 and was at its lowest, 63.51 million people, in 2014.
That places Japan 3rd out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 67.87 million people | — |
| 2009 | 66.33 million people | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 68.65 million people | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 63.53 million people | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 63.94 million people | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 64.87 million people | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 63.51 million people | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 66.11 million people | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 64.68 million people | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 66.15 million people | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 63.66 million people | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 63.70 million people | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 68.31 million people | +7.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 68.31 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 13.8× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Japan's 68.31 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.83 million people, 14.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.10 million people | 66.33 million people | 67.87 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 64.88 million people | 63.51 million people | 68.65 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.31 million people | 68.31 million people | 68.31 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 1 United States 263.25 million people compare
- 2 China 77.51 million people compare
- 4 Germany 66.79 million people compare
- 5 France 50.87 million people compare
- 6 United Kingdom 47.02 million people compare
More poverty & inequality data for Japan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 5 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,245 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -1.18 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.86 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan was 68.31 million people in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 68.65 million people in 2010.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.51 million people in 2014.
- How does Japan rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Japan ranks 3rd out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.