Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance in Japan
Japan: Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance was 25.47 trillion in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance in Japan, 1968–2026
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Analysis
In 2026, economic outlook no 116 — current account balance in Japan stood at 25.47 trillion.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, economic outlook no 116 — current account balance in Japan peaked at 27.34 trillion in 2024 and was at its lowest, -2.22 trillion, in 1980.
That places Japan 1st out of 36 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 398.76 billion | — |
| 1969 | 783.70 billion | +96.5% |
| 1970 | 738.61 billion | -5.8% |
| 1971 | 2.03 trillion | +175.4% |
| 1972 | 2.06 trillion | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 48.07 billion | -97.7% |
| 1974 | -1.19 trillion | -2575.0% |
| 1975 | -74.04 billion | -93.8% |
| 1976 | 1.22 trillion | -1743.5% |
| 1977 | 2.99 trillion | +145.9% |
| 1978 | 3.63 trillion | +21.2% |
| 1979 | -1.79 trillion | -149.3% |
| 1980 | -2.22 trillion | +23.8% |
| 1981 | 1.36 trillion | -161.4% |
| 1982 | 2.02 trillion | +48.7% |
| 1983 | 5.16 trillion | +155.6% |
| 1984 | 8.56 trillion | +65.8% |
| 1985 | 12.71 trillion | +48.5% |
| 1986 | 15.32 trillion | +20.6% |
| 1987 | 12.94 trillion | -15.6% |
| 1988 | 10.72 trillion | -17.1% |
| 1989 | 9.76 trillion | -9.0% |
| 1990 | 7.24 trillion | -25.8% |
| 1991 | 10.38 trillion | +43.4% |
| 1992 | 14.56 trillion | +40.2% |
| 1993 | 15.39 trillion | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 14.25 trillion | -7.4% |
| 1995 | 11.38 trillion | -20.2% |
| 1996 | 7.55 trillion | -33.7% |
| 1997 | 11.52 trillion | +52.7% |
| 1998 | 15.07 trillion | +30.8% |
| 1999 | 13.07 trillion | -13.3% |
| 2000 | 14.08 trillion | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 10.59 trillion | -24.8% |
| 2002 | 13.62 trillion | +28.5% |
| 2003 | 16.10 trillion | +18.2% |
| 2004 | 19.71 trillion | +22.5% |
| 2005 | 18.76 trillion | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 20.53 trillion | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 25.09 trillion | +22.2% |
| 2008 | 14.78 trillion | -41.1% |
| 2009 | 13.66 trillion | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 19.38 trillion | +41.9% |
| 2011 | 10.25 trillion | -47.1% |
| 2012 | 5.03 trillion | -50.9% |
| 2013 | 4.50 trillion | -10.6% |
| 2014 | 4.09 trillion | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 16.55 trillion | +304.7% |
| 2016 | 20.94 trillion | +26.6% |
| 2017 | 23.03 trillion | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 19.52 trillion | -15.2% |
| 2019 | 18.80 trillion | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 15.83 trillion | -15.8% |
| 2021 | 21.25 trillion | +34.2% |
| 2022 | 10.52 trillion | -50.5% |
| 2023 | 22.59 trillion | +114.7% |
| 2024 | 27.34 trillion | +21.0% |
| 2025 | 26.18 trillion | -4.2% |
| 2026 | 25.47 trillion | -2.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 25.47 trillion is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.64 billion, 9630.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | -2575.0% | 48.07 billion | -1.19 trillion |
| 1976 | +1743.5% | -74.04 billion | 1.22 trillion |
| 2015 | +304.7% | 4.09 trillion | 16.55 trillion |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 591.23 billion | 398.76 billion | 783.70 billion | 2 |
| 1970s | 966.64 billion | -1.79 trillion | 3.63 trillion | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.63 trillion | -2.22 trillion | 15.32 trillion | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.04 trillion | 7.24 trillion | 15.39 trillion | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.69 trillion | 10.59 trillion | 25.09 trillion | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.21 trillion | 4.09 trillion | 23.03 trillion | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.31 trillion | 10.52 trillion | 27.34 trillion | 7 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More economy & growth data for Japan
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 592.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.4463 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0137 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 493.16 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 1.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.01 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 360.1 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.17 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is economic outlook no 116 — current account balance in Japan?
- Economic outlook no 116 — current account balance in Japan was 25.47 trillion in 2026, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest economic outlook no 116 — current account balance recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 27.34 trillion in 2024.
- What is the lowest economic outlook no 116 — current account balance recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.22 trillion in 1980.
- How does Japan rank for economic outlook no 116 — current account balance?
- Japan ranks 1st out of 36 countries with data for 2026.
- Is economic outlook no 116 — current account balance rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 116 — Current account balance. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. OECD (2024), OECD Economic Outlook No 116 (Edition 2024/2) EO116 Database documentation EO116 Last historical points OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact: eco.outlook@oecd.org