Expense in Japan

Japan: Expense was 20.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
20.1%
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
109th
of 157 countries
All-time high
23.0%
in 2020
All-time low
10.6%
in 1972
Years of data
48
1972–2022

Expense in Japan, 1972–2022

0510152025197219972022

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2022, expense in Japan stood at 20.1%.

That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Japan peaked at 23.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 1972.

That places Japan 109th out of 157 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.

Expense in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Japan, 1972 to 2022.
Year % of GDP Change
1972 10.6%
1973 10.7% +1.2%
1974 12.0% +12.0%
1975 12.5% +4.8%
1976 13.2% +5.0%
1977 13.8% +4.6%
1978 14.7% +6.9%
1979 15.4% +4.6%
1980 15.9% +3.0%
1981 16.1% +1.2%
1982 16.0% -0.2%
1983 16.0% -0.1%
1984 15.5% -3.3%
1985 15.1% -2.4%
1986 14.8% -2.0%
1987 14.4% -2.5%
1988 14.0% -2.8%
1989 14.4% +3.0%
1990 13.6% -6.1%
1994 14.7% +8.5%
1995 14.8% +0.4%
1996 14.7% -0.8%
1997 14.2% -3.4%
1998 19.9% +40.3%
1999 17.1% -13.8%
2000 16.9% -1.5%
2001 16.0% -5.1%
2002 15.9% -0.8%
2003 15.5% -2.0%
2004 14.9% -4.0%
2005 14.9% -0.1%
2006 14.7% -1.5%
2007 13.9% -5.6%
2008 15.1% +8.9%
2009 18.1% +19.5%
2010 17.1% -5.5%
2011 18.5% +8.2%
2012 17.9% -2.8%
2013 17.9% -0.0%
2014 17.3% -3.8%
2015 16.6% -3.6%
2016 16.4% -1.7%
2017 15.9% -3.1%
2018 15.7% -0.8%
2019 16.0% +1.9%
2020 23.0% +43.5%
2021 20.8% -9.3%
2022 20.1% -3.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.8% 10.6% 15.4% 8
1980s 15.2% 14.0% 16.1% 10
1990s 15.5% 13.6% 19.9% 7
2000s 15.6% 13.9% 18.1% 10
2010s 16.9% 15.7% 18.5% 10
2020s 21.3% 20.1% 23.0% 3

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 106 Bahamas 20.3% compare
  2. 107 Papua New Guinea 20.3% compare
  3. 108 Malawi 20.2% compare
  4. 110 Iran 19.6% compare
  5. 111 Macao 19.6% compare
  6. 112 Burkina Faso 19.6% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Japan?
Expense in Japan was 20.1% in 2022, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 23.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 1972.
How does Japan rank for expense?
Japan ranks 109th out of 157 countries with data for 2022.
Is expense rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expense in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.