Japan unemployment rate history

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Japan unemployment rate history: choose a year or date to look up past values. Preview the observations and download your selection.

2.6%August 2026Latest published observation

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History starts: January 1953
History ends: August 2026
Frequency: Monthly observations
Unit: Percent

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12 observations · January 1963 to December 1963

Selected historical observations
Date or period	Value · Percent	Source
January 1963	1.6%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
February 1963	1.7%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
March 1963	2.1%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
April 1963	1.3%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
May 1963	1.2%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
June 1963	1.0%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
July 1963	1.1%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
August 1963	1.1%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
September 1963	1.1%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
October 1963	0.9%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
November 1963	1.1%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs
December 1963	1.2%	Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs

Japan unemployment rate history by year

Full history →

Japan unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2026 (to date)	2.6%	2.8%March 2026	2.4%July 2026	0.0
2025	2.5%	2.7%April 2025	2.3%January 2025	▲ +0.1
2024	2.6%	2.8%April 2024	2.2%December 2024	▼ −0.2
2023	2.6%	2.8%March 2023	2.3%December 2023	▼ −0.1
2022	2.6%	2.8%May 2022	2.3%December 2022	▼ −0.4
2021	2.8%	3.1%May 2021	2.5%December 2021	▼ −0.4
2020	2.8%	3.1%October 2020	2.3%January 2020	▲ +0.5
2019	2.4%	2.6%April 2019	2.1%December 2019	▼ −0.3
2018	2.4%	2.6%April 2018	2.3%May 2018	▼ −0.1
2017	2.8%	3.1%May 2017	2.6%November 2017	▼ −0.4
2016	3.1%	3.4%April 2016	2.9%October 2016	▼ −0.3
2015	3.4%	3.6%April 2015	3.1%October 2015	▼ −0.4
2014	3.6%	3.9%April 2014	3.2%December 2014	▼ −0.5
2013	4.0%	4.4%April 2013	3.4%December 2013	▼ −0.8
2012	4.4%	4.8%April 2012	4.0%November 2012	▼ −0.5
2011	4.6%	5.0%April 2011	4.2%September 2011	▼ −0.6
2010	5.1%	5.4%April 2010	4.6%December 2010	▼ −0.3
2009	5.1%	5.5%September 2009	4.2%January 2009	▲ +0.6
2008	4.0%	4.1%February 2008	3.8%July 2008	▲ +0.2
2007	3.8%	4.2%March 2007	3.5%July 2007	▼ −0.5

Show all

Japan unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2006	4.1%	4.5%January 2006	3.7%December 2006	▼ −0.8
2005	4.4%	4.8%March 2005	4.0%December 2005	▼ −0.5
2004	4.7%	5.0%February 2004	4.1%December 2004	▼ −0.8
2003	5.3%	5.8%March 2003	4.5%December 2003	▼ −0.9
2002	5.4%	5.7%March 2002	5.0%December 2002	▼ −0.2
2001	5.0%	5.3%September 2001	4.7%January 2001	▲ +0.3
2000	4.7%	5.2%March 2000	4.4%December 2000	▼ −0.2
1999	4.7%	5.0%March 1999	4.3%December 1999	▼ −0.2
1998	4.1%	4.3%April 1998	3.6%January 1998	▲ +0.5
1997	3.4%	3.5%February 1997	3.2%December 1997	▼ −0.1
1996	3.4%	3.5%January 1996	3.1%December 1996	▼ −0.4
1995	3.2%	3.3%March 1995	3.0%January 1995	▲ +0.2
1994	2.9%	3.2%March 1994	2.7%June 1994	▼ −0.1
1993	2.5%	2.6%March 1993	2.4%January 1993	▲ +0.2
1992	2.2%	2.3%March 1992	2.0%June 1992	0.0
1991	2.1%	2.4%March 1991	2.0%June 1991	▼ −0.1
1990	2.1%	2.3%January 1990	1.9%December 1990	▼ −0.4
1989	2.3%	2.6%March 1989	1.9%December 1989	▼ −0.5
1988	2.5%	3.0%March 1988	2.2%December 1988	▼ −0.6
1987	2.9%	3.2%February 1987	2.5%November 1987	▼ −0.6
1986	2.8%	3.1%March 1986	2.6%June 1986	▼ −0.1
1985	2.6%	3.0%March 1985	2.4%July 1985	0.0
1984	2.7%	3.1%March 1984	2.4%December 1984	▼ −0.5
1983	2.7%	3.0%March 1983	2.4%July 1983	▼ −0.3
1982	2.4%	2.6%March 1982	2.2%August 1982	0.0
1981	2.2%	2.5%March 1981	2.0%August 1981	▼ −0.1
1980	2.0%	2.2%March 1980	1.8%June 1980	0.0
1979	2.1%	2.5%March 1979	1.9%June 1979	▼ −0.4
1978	2.2%	2.6%March 1978	2.1%July 1978	▼ −0.3
1977	2.0%	2.4%March 1977	1.8%October 1977	▼ −0.1
1976	2.0%	2.4%January 1976	1.7%December 1976	▼ −0.7
1975	1.9%	2.2%March 1975	1.6%July 1975	0.0
1974	1.4%	1.7%March 1974	1.1%July 1974	▲ +0.2
1973	1.3%	1.6%March 1973	1.0%October 1973	▼ −0.4
1972	1.4%	1.8%March 1972	1.2%June 1972	▼ −0.4
1971	1.2%	1.5%March 1971	1.1%May 1971	0.0
1970	1.2%	1.3%January 1970	0.9%June 1970	▼ −0.2
1969	1.1%	1.5%March 1969	0.9%October 1969	▼ −0.3
1968	1.2%	1.7%March 1968	0.9%October 1968	▼ −0.5
1967	1.3%	2.3%March 1967	1.0%September 1967	▼ −0.4
1966	1.3%	2.1%March 1966	1.1%June 1966	▼ −0.5
1965	1.2%	1.6%March 1965	1.0%October 1965	▼ −0.1
1964	1.2%	1.8%March 1964	0.9%October 1964	▼ −0.3
1963	1.3%	2.1%March 1963	0.9%October 1963	▼ −0.4
1962	1.3%	1.9%March 1962	1.0%May 1962	▼ −0.3
1961	1.4%	1.9%March 1961	1.1%October 1961	▼ −0.4
1960	1.6%	2.4%March 1960	1.2%October 1960	▼ −0.7
1959	2.2%	3.4%March 1959	1.6%October 1959	▼ −0.8
1958	2.0%	2.9%March 1958	1.8%May 1958	▼ −0.1
1957	1.9%	2.8%March 1957	1.6%November 1957	▼ −0.5
1956	2.3%	3.6%March 1956	1.8%October 1956	▼ −0.6
1955	2.5%	3.0%March 1955	2.1%November 1955	▼ −0.5
1954	2.2%	2.7%August 1954	1.8%January 1954	▲ +0.6
1953	1.9%	2.2%March 1953	1.5%December 1953	▼ −0.5

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Common questions

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The CSV contains the selected published observations, their dates, values, units and source. Values are in Percent.

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This series follows its publication frequency. Gaps are left empty, and no daily values are invented between observations.

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan; Cabinet Office of Japan; Japan Customs; API reference →
Series: Japan unemployment rate history; View chart →