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Government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan

Japan: Government spending vs gdp per capita was 39.1 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
39.1
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
45th
of 151 countries
All-time high
44.54
in 2020
All-time low
0.6844
in 1892
Years of data
147
1875–2024

Government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan, 1875–2024

010203040187519492024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan stood at 39.1.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan peaked at 44.54 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.6844, in 1892.

Japan ranks 45th of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan, year by year

Year Value Change
1875 1.28 —
1876 1.54 +20.3%
1877 1.32 -14.4%
1878 1.03 -21.7%
1879 0.7924 -23.3%
1880 0.8608 +8.6%
1881 0.8992 +4.5%
1882 0.9813 +9.1%
1883 1.14 +16.3%
1884 1.03 -9.6%
1885 0.7581 -26.5%
1886 1.04 +37.2%
1887 0.9707 -6.7%
1888 0.9411 -3.0%
1889 0.8346 -11.3%
1890 0.7765 -7.0%
1891 0.7287 -6.2%
1892 0.6844 -6.1%
1893 0.7018 +2.5%
1894 1.27 +81.1%
1895 1.51 +19.2%
1896 1.01 -33.0%
1897 1.31 +29.5%
1898 1.44 +9.7%
1899 1.69 +17.6%
1900 1.01 -40.1%
1901 1.23 +21.0%
1902 1.34 +9.1%
1903 1.26 -6.2%
1904 2.48 +97.5%
1905 2.98 +19.9%
1906 2.9 -2.7%
1907 2.7 -6.6%
1908 2.28 -15.6%
1909 2.14 -6.3%
1910 3.12 +45.8%
1911 2.09 -33.1%
1912 1.97 -5.7%
1913 2.1 +6.9%
1914 2.03 -3.6%
1915 1.8 -11.3%
1916 1.56 -13.3%
1917 1.36 -12.8%
1918 1.36 +0.3%
1919 1.69 +23.8%
1920 1.93 +14.6%
1921 2.08 +7.6%
1922 2.16 +3.7%
1923 2.32 +7.7%
1924 2.48 +6.6%
1925 2.01 -18.7%
1926 2.02 +0.5%
1927 2.21 +9.3%
1928 2.29 +3.5%
1929 2.29 +0.3%
1930 2.89 +25.9%
1931 2.8 -3.0%
1932 3.28 +17.1%
1933 3.54 +8.0%
1934 3.64 +2.8%
1935 3.48 -4.6%
1936 4.74 +36.3%
1937 3.93 -17.1%
1938 4.9 +24.8%
1939 3.71 -24.3%
1940 3.99 +7.5%
1941 5.1 +27.9%
1942 5.88 +15.3%
1943 7.44 +26.5%
1947 11.77 +58.3%
1948 15.03 +27.7%
1949 18.03 +20.0%
1950 15.86 -12.1%
1951 17.19 +8.4%
1952 19.13 +11.3%
1953 19.8 +3.5%
1954 19.48 -1.6%
1955 19.58 +0.5%
1956 18.16 -7.3%
1957 18.04 -0.7%
1958 18.7 +3.7%
1959 17.32 -7.4%
1960 18.35 +6.0%
1961 18.17 -1.0%
1962 19.37 +6.6%
1963 19.99 +3.2%
1964 19.84 -0.8%
1965 20.41 +2.9%
1966 20.82 +2.0%
1967 19.94 -4.2%
1968 20.07 +0.7%
1969 19.79 -1.4%
1970 20.25 +2.3%
1971 21.77 +7.5%
1972 23.1 +6.1%
1973 23.27 +0.7%
1974 25.49 +9.5%
1975 28.49 +11.8%
1976 29.11 +2.2%
1977 30.4 +4.5%
1978 32.1 +5.6%
1979 33.18 +3.4%
1980 33.45 +0.8%
1981 31.51 -5.8%
1982 31.73 +0.7%
1983 31.84 +0.3%
1984 31.2 -2.0%
1985 30.41 -2.5%
1986 30.4 -0.0%
1987 30.64 +0.8%
1988 29.89 -2.4%
1989 29.19 -2.4%
1990 29.46 +0.9%
1991 29.3 -0.5%
1992 30.29 +3.4%
1993 32.14 +6.1%
1994 32.78 +2.0%
1995 33.4 +1.9%
1996 33.81 +1.2%
1997 33.08 -2.2%
1998 38.63 +16.8%
1999 35.57 -7.9%
2000 35.95 +1.1%
2001 35.19 -2.1%
2002 35.39 +0.6%
2003 35.04 -1.0%
2004 33.68 -3.9%
2005 33.52 -0.5%
2006 33.06 -1.4%
2007 33.12 +0.2%
2008 34.11 +3.0%
2009 38.69 +13.4%
2010 37.74 -2.4%
2011 38.63 +2.3%
2012 38.64 +0.0%
2013 38.78 +0.4%
2014 38.39 -1.0%
2015 37.3 -2.8%
2016 37.23 -0.2%
2017 36.69 -1.5%
2018 36.74 +0.1%
2019 37.29 +1.5%
2020 44.54 +19.4%
2021 42.48 -4.6%
2022 41.75 -1.7%
2023 39.17 -6.2%
2024 39.1 -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 1.19 0.7924 1.54 5
1880s 0.9458 0.7581 1.14 10
1890s 1.11 0.6844 1.69 10
1900s 2.03 1.01 2.98 10
1910s 1.91 1.36 3.12 10
1920s 2.18 1.93 2.48 10
1930s 3.69 2.8 4.9 10
1940s 9.6 3.99 18.03 7
1950s 18.33 15.86 19.8 10
1960s 19.68 18.17 20.82 10
1970s 26.71 20.25 33.18 10
1980s 31.03 29.19 33.45 10
1990s 32.85 29.3 38.63 10
2000s 34.77 33.06 38.69 10
2010s 37.74 36.69 38.78 10
2020s 41.41 39.1 44.54 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 42 Namibia 39.93 compare
  2. 43 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 39.84 compare
  3. 44 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 39.14 compare
  4. 46 Australia 38.94 compare
  5. 47 Ecuador 38.07 compare
  6. 48 Republic of Moldova 37.96 compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan?
Government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan was 39.1 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 44.54 in 2020.
What is the lowest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6844 in 1892.
How does Japan rank for government spending vs gdp per capita?
Japan ranks 45th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending vs gdp per capita rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending vs gdp per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government spending vs gdp per capita in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/government-spending-vs-gdp-per-capita/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending vs gdp per capita
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed