Annual working hours vs. productivity in Japan
Japan: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,654 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours vs. productivity in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1,654 hours per worker for annual working hours vs. productivity in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in Japan peaked at 2,224 hours per worker in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1,646 hours per worker, in 2020.
That places Japan 96th out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,101 hours per worker | 2,023 hours per worker | 2,205 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 2,203 hours per worker | 2,183 hours per worker | 2,224 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,134 hours per worker | 2,076 hours per worker | 2,185 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,103 hours per worker | 2,077 hours per worker | 2,121 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,919 hours per worker | 1,839 hours per worker | 2,049 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,817 hours per worker | 1,754 hours per worker | 1,847 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,750 hours per worker | 1,688 hours per worker | 1,781 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,651 hours per worker | 1,646 hours per worker | 1,654 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More economy & growth data for Japan
- Exports of goods and services 928.87 billion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 4.23 trillion current US$ (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 639.89 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 4.69 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added 26.8% (2024)
- Gross national expenditure 100.9% (2024)
- Exports of goods and services 920.96 billion current US$ (2024)
- Exports of goods and services 139.40 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation 1.25 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2024)
- Gross fixed capital formation 176.40 trillion current LCU (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in Japan?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in Japan was 1,654 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2,224 hours per worker in 1961.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,646 hours per worker in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- Japan ranks 96th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.