In 2021, the poverty rate in Japan was 15.4 percent. The rate has been on a downward trend since it peaked in 2012 at 16.1 percent. The poverty rate refers to the ratio of the number of people whose income is less than half the median household income of the total population.

In 2018, the child poverty rate in Japan was 13.5 percent. The child poverty rate was at its lowest in 1994 with 12.2 percent. Figures peaked in 2012, with 16.3 percent, but more recent numbers indicate a downward trend of child poverty in Japan.

0.70 (%) in 2013. Population below $1.9 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.9 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

In 2018, the poverty rate of households with children and two or more adults was almost 11 percent, while the poverty rate of households with children and only one adult was much higher, with around 48 percent. The poverty rate of single-adult households with children peaked in 1997, with around 63 percent, but recent figures indicate a downward trend. In contrast to that, the poverty rate for households with children and more than one adult have remained between ten and slightly below 13 percent since 1991.

Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 1.000 % in 2008. Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.000 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2008, with 1 observations. Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

0.2 (%) in 2013. Poverty gap at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $1.90 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

1,2 (%) in 2013. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

0,90 (%) in 2013. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Japan JP: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data was reported at 32.100 % in 2008. Japan JP: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data is updated yearly, averaging 32.100 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2008, with 1 observations. Japan JP: Gini Coefficient (GINI Index): World Bank Estimate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.65 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 0.900 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.200 % for 2010. Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.65 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.900 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2013, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 % in 2008 and a record low of 0.200 % in 2010. Japan JP: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.65 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.65 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.65 a day at 2017 international prices.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Japan JP: Poverty Gap at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % data was reported at 0.300 % in 2008. Japan JP: Poverty Gap at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % data is updated yearly, averaging 0.300 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2008, with 1 observations. Japan JP: Poverty Gap at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty gap at $3.20 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $3.20 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Japan JP: Income Share Held by Highest 20% data was reported at 39.700 % in 2008. Japan JP: Income Share Held by Highest 20% data is updated yearly, averaging 39.700 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2008, with 1 observations. Japan JP: Income Share Held by Highest 20% data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Adults with 100 thousand to one million U.S. dollars in wealth made up around 53 percent of the Japanese population in 2020, while the second largest share of people were worth between 10,000 and 100,000 dollars. Together, these groups accounted for approximately 86 percent of the population.

Wealth versus income

Wealth, as opposed to income, measures the ownership of assets in a society. Together with GDP, GDP per capita, and household disposable income, it helps to understand the economic well-being of households. Furthermore, the distribution of wealth gives an indication about the degree of equality in a society. Illustrated by its wealth distribution, Japan can be considered relatively equal compared to other countries.

Egalitarian corporate culture

In recent years, wealth inequality has become the subject of increasing focus among policymakers, academics and the general public. While several factors have contributed to the high equality in the country, it is safe to say that the egalitarian ethic in Japanese corporate culture is one of these reasons. This is reflected, for example, in the income structure; Japanese CEOs earn remarkably less than their counterparts in the United Kingdom or the United States. In a ranking of the average income of business leaders worldwide by country, Japan did not even make it into the list of the top ten countries.

The aim of the Human Development Report is to stimulate global, regional and national policy-relevant discussions on issues pertinent to human development. Accordingly, the data in the Report require the highest standards of data quality, consistency, international comparability and transparency. The Human Development Report Office (HDRO) fully subscribes to the Principles governing international statistical activities.

The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. The HDI can also be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with different human development outcomes. These contrasts can stimulate debate about government policy priorities. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions.

The 2019 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) data shed light on the number of people experiencing poverty at regional, national and subnational levels, and reveal inequalities across countries and among the poor themselves.Jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, the 2019 global MPI offers data for 101 countries, covering 76 percent of the global population. The MPI provides a comprehensive and in-depth picture of global poverty – in all its dimensions – and monitors progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 – to end poverty in all its forms. It also provides policymakers with the data to respond to the call of Target 1.2, which is to ‘reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definition'.

0,4 (%) in 2013. Poverty gap at $3.20 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $3.20 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.

Japan JP: Increase in Poverty Gap at $1.90: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data was reported at 0.098 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.107 % for 2014. Japan JP: Increase in Poverty Gap at $1.90: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data is updated yearly, averaging 0.107 % from Dec 2009 (Median) to 2015, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.267 % in 2010 and a record low of 0.051 % in 2011. Japan JP: Increase in Poverty Gap at $1.90: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Increase in poverty gap at $1.90 ($ 2011 PPP) poverty line due to out-of-pocket health care expenditure, as a percentage of the $1.90 poverty line. The poverty gap increase due to out-of-pocket health spending is one way to measure how much out-of-pocket health spending pushes people below or further below the poverty line (the difference in the poverty gap due to out-of-pocket health spending being included or excluded from the measure of household welfare). This difference corresponds to the total out-of-pocket health spending for households that are already below the poverty line, to the amount that exceeds the shortfall between the poverty line and total consumption for households that are impoverished by out-of-pocket health spending and to zero for households whose consumption is above the poverty line after accounting for out-of-pocket health spending.; ; World Health Organization and World Bank. 2019. Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2019.; Weighted average;

JP：低于1.90美元人口比例：自付医保贫困线：2011年购买力平价：百分比在12-01-2015达0.112%，相较于12-01-2014的0.133%有所下降。JP：低于1.90美元人口比例：自付医保贫困线：2011年购买力平价：百分比数据按年更新，12-01-2009至12-01-2015期间平均值为0.133%，共7份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2013，达0.364%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-2011，为0.043%。CEIC提供的JP：低于1.90美元人口比例：自付医保贫困线：2011年购买力平价：百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的日本 – 表 JP.世行.WDI：贫困。

。JP：按每天1.90美元收入计算贫困人口比率：2011年购买力平价：占人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-2008至12-01-2008期间平均值为0.300%，共1份观测结果。CEIC提供的JP：按每天1.90美元收入计算贫困人口比率：2011年购买力平价：占人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于Global Database的日本 – 表 JP.世界银行：贫困。

。JP：基尼系数（GINI系数）：世界银行估计数据按年更新，12-01-2008至12-01-2008期间平均值为32.100%，共1份观测结果。CEIC提供的JP：基尼系数（GINI系数）：世界银行估计数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的日本 – 表 JP.世行.WDI：贫困。