Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan
Japan: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 1.52 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
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
Japan recorded 1.52 million people for distribution of population between different poverty lines in 2020.
That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and up 97.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan peaked at 1.79 million people in 2012 and was at its lowest, 508,564 people, in 2015.
That places Japan 39th out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1.41 million people | — |
| 2009 | 1.02 million people | -27.3% |
| 2010 | 768,420 people | -25.0% |
| 2011 | 639,165 people | -16.8% |
| 2012 | 1.79 million people | +179.6% |
| 2013 | 1.15 million people | -35.8% |
| 2014 | 890,932 people | -22.3% |
| 2015 | 508,564 people | -42.9% |
| 2016 | 889,532 people | +74.9% |
| 2017 | 761,832 people | -14.4% |
| 2018 | 1.27 million people | +66.5% |
| 2019 | 1.65 million people | +29.8% |
| 2020 | 1.52 million people | -8.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.52 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 41,302 people, 36.7× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.52 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 230,843 people, 6.6× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +179.6% | 639,165 people | 1.79 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.22 million people | 1.02 million people | 1.41 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.03 million people | 508,564 people | 1.79 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.52 million people | 1.52 million people | 1.52 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
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 1.52 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 1.79 million people in 2012.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 508,564 people in 2015.
- How does Japan rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Japan ranks 39th 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 up 97.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 below $3 per day.