Productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan

Japan: Productivity vs. educational attainment was 49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
32nd
of 130 countries
All-time high
51.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 2010
All-time low
3.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan, 1950–2023

01020304050195019862023

Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices per hour.

Analysis

The most recent figure for productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan is 49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan peaked at 51.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour, in 1950.

Japan ranks 32nd of 130 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 4.36 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 3.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 5.18 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
1960s 8.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 5.61 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 11.36 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
1970s 16.28 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 12.5 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 20.53 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
1980s 23.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 20.64 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 29.24 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
1990s 38.85 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 31.66 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 43.71 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
2000s 48.15 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 45.02 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 50.44 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
2010s 50.13 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 48.39 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 51.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 10
2020s 48.49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 48.2 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 29 Slovenia 51.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
  2. 30 Czechia 50.68 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
  3. 31 New Zealand 49.56 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
  4. 33 Lithuania 48 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
  5. 34 Romania 47.08 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare
  6. 35 Georgia 46.89 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour compare

See the full ranking of 130 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan?
Productivity vs. educational attainment in Japan was 49 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 51.38 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 2010.
What is the lowest productivity vs. educational attainment recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 3.47 international-$ in 2021 prices per hour in 1950.
How does Japan rank for productivity vs. educational attainment?
Japan ranks 32nd out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
Is productivity vs. educational attainment rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Productivity vs. educational attainment. 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

Indicator
Productivity vs. educational attainment
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices per hour
Source
Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
130 places, 4,965 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Productivity is calculated as GDP divided by the total number of hours worked in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.