Japan vs United States: Real minimum wages at constant prices — Statutory minimum wages
Real minimum wages at constant prices — Statutory minimum wages over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 15,080 US dollars, exchange rate converted against 14,892 US dollars, exchange rate converted in Japan, a difference of 188 US dollars, exchange rate converted.
Across all 49 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 13th and United States ranks 12th of 26 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6,576 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 26,474 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 19,899 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
| 1980s | 7,617 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 21,549 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 13,932 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
| 1990s | 9,255 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 19,816 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 10,561 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
| 2000s | 10,869 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 18,877 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 8,008 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
| 2010s | 12,591 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 20,534 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 7,944 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
| 2020s | 14,369 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 16,636 US dollars, exchange rate converted | 2,267 US dollars, exchange rate converted | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher real minimum wages at constant prices — statutory minimum wages, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 15,080 US dollars, exchange rate converted against 14,892 US dollars, exchange rate converted in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in real minimum wages at constant prices — statutory minimum wages between Japan and United States?
- 188 US dollars, exchange rate converted, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for real minimum wages at constant prices — statutory minimum wages?
- Japan ranks 13th and United States ranks 12th of 26 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Real minimum wages at constant prices — Statutory minimum wages. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Real minimum wages are statutory minimum wages converted into a common hourly and annual pay period for the 30 OECD countries and two other non-member countries for which they are available. Real hourly and annual minimum wages are calculated first by deflating the series using the consumer price index taking 2024 as the base year then converted into common currency units 1) US dollars (USD) and 2) USD using Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs) for private consumption expenditures in 2024.