Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan
Japan: Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social was 40.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan, 2005–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan is 40.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan peaked at 42.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 37.2%, in 2005.
Japan ranks 10th of 127 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 37.2% | — |
| 2006 | 37.8% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 38.6% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 38.7% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 39.4% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 40.8% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 41.2% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 41.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 40.9% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 41.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 41.2% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 41.9% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 42.1% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 41.9% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 38.1% | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 40.8% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 39.8% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 40.4% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.4% | 37.2% | 39.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 41.4% | 40.8% | 42.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.8% | 38.1% | 40.8% | 4 |
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 proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social in Japan was 40.4% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, social recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.2% in 2005.
- How does Japan rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, social?
- Japan ranks 10th out of 127 countries with data for 2023.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, social rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, social protection (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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