Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan
Japan: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 28.2% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan, 2008–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 28.2% for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in 2020.
That represents a change of down 5.4% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan peaked at 30.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 2010.
That places Japan 95th out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 28.9% | — |
| 2009 | 29.2% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 26.8% | -8.2% |
| 2011 | 30.9% | +15.3% |
| 2012 | 29.4% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 29.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29.1% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 27.4% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 28.9% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 29.3% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 29.8% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 28.2% | -5.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 28.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 19.3%, 1.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Japan's 28.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 89.0%, 32% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.0% | 28.9% | 29.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.1% | 26.8% | 30.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 28.2% | 28.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More poverty & inequality data for Japan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 5 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Japan was 28.2% in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 2010.
- How does Japan rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- Japan ranks 95th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.