Photo: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 08 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Japan: Gender & Equality
How wide is the gap between women's and men's lives?
Japan is placed joint 116th of 183 countries on gender & equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Women, Business and the Law 81.25 (2025); Women's Political Empowerment Index 0.844 (2025).
Share
Gender & Equality
joint116th
of 183 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 81.25Women, Business and the Law, 2025WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
- 0.844Women's Political Empowerment Index, 2025Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
- 9.625Firms with a Female Top Manager, 2025Firms with a female top manager (%)
- 32.9Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2023SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Japan on gender & equality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
81.25
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)
Higher is better
Japan: 81.25. Across the 190 countries in this edition, values run from 3.125 (Afghanistan) to 100 (Sweden); the world median is 81.25.
- World median
- 81.25
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 91.88 Hong Kong
Key 2 of 4
Women's Political Empowerment Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
0.844
Women's political empowerment index (0–1)
Higher is better
Japan: 0.844. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.028 (Afghanistan) to 0.954 (Denmark); the world median is 0.772.
- World median
- 0.772
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 0.903 Taiwan
Key 3 of 4
Firms with a Female Top Manager
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2016–2025 · Japan’s is from 2025 · CC BY 4.0
9.625
Firms with a female top manager (%)
Higher is better
Japan: 9.625. Across the 179 countries at their latest reading, values run from 1.429 (Qatar) to 62.9 (Kiribati); the world median is 19.16.
- World median
- 19.16
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 44.39 South Korea
Key 4 of 4
Social Institutions and Gender Index
OECD
2023 edition · data for 2023 · OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
32.9
SIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute)
Lower is better
Japan: 32.9. Across the 140 countries in this edition, values run from 6.7 (Norway) to 67.4 (Mauritania); the world median is 25.2.
- World median
- 25.2
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 9.2 Taiwan
02Over time
Which way Japan is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Women, Business and the Law
WBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) · higher is better
JapanWorld median
Japan rose from 73.75 in 2000 to 81.25 in 2025; the world median went from 63.13 to 81.25.
Every year’s figures
Year Japan World median 2025 81 81.3 2023 79 81.3 2022 79 80.3 2021 79 80.0 2020 79 79.7 2019 79 78.8 2018 79 77.5 2017 79 77.5 2016 79 76.9 2015 79 75.9 2014 79 75.6 2013 79 75.0 2012 79 73.8 2011 79 73.1 2010 76 73.1 2009 76 72.5 2008 76 71.3 2007 76 69.7 2006 76 68.8 2005 76 67.2 2004 76 66.9 2003 76 64.7 2002 76 63.8 2001 76 63.8 2000 74 63.1 Women's Political Empowerment Index
Women's political empowerment index (0–1) · higher is better
JapanWorld median
Japan rose from 0.773 in 2000 to 0.844 in 2025; the world median went from 0.681 to 0.772.
Every year’s figures
Year Japan World median 2025 0.844 0.7715 2024 0.795 0.7745 2023 0.796 0.7755 2022 0.787 0.7825 2021 0.781 0.7785 2020 0.789 0.7755 2019 0.791 0.7665 2018 0.793 0.7715 2017 0.813 0.7710 2016 0.778 0.7780 2015 0.775 0.7755 2014 0.798 0.7795 2013 0.792 0.7730 2012 0.800 0.7740 2011 0.815 0.7650 2010 0.815 0.7610 2009 0.812 0.7515 2008 0.800 0.7505 2007 0.802 0.7380 2006 0.804 0.7290 2005 0.800 0.7350 2004 0.790 0.7205 2003 0.786 0.7160 2002 0.787 0.7150 2001 0.787 0.6950 2000 0.773 0.6810
03In context
Japan beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 183 countries on gender & equality, never a place within the region.
Japan and Eastern Asia
Japan has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 183; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Women, Business and the LawWBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity) | Women's Political Empowerment IndexWomen's political empowerment index (0–1) | Firms with a Female Top ManagerFirms with a female top manager (%) | Social Institutions and Gender IndexSIGI score (0 = no discrimination, 100 = absolute) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Taiwan | 2nd | 91.25 | 0.903 | — | 9.2 |
 South Koreacompare | 24th | 88.13 | 0.878 | 44.39 | 19.8 |
 Mongolia | 29th | 90.63 | 0.806 | 26.96 | 13.1 |
 Hong Kong | 42nd | 91.88 | 0.801 | 43.64 | 25.9 |
| Japan | =116th | 81.25 | 0.844 | 9.625 | 32.9 |
 Chinacompare | 124th | 78.13 | 0.587 | 19.6 | 27.1 |
 Macau | not placed | — | — | — | — |
 North Korea | not placed | — | 0.29 | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Eastern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 183.
Placed either side on gender & equality
The countries immediately above and below Japan in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Japan is ahead of the world, and behind
19 more statistics filed under gender & equality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median12
Statistics on which Japan does better than the middle country measured.
Length of Paid Paternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 3283▲ Improved since 2015
Japan: 28 · world median 3 · Paid paternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 196; higher is better.
Adolescent Birth Rate (Ages 15–19)UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 27.461.73727.46No real change since 2013
Japan: 1.737 · world median 27.46 · Live births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.465 to 163.09; lower is better.
Position 211th of 222 · derived, 1st = worst.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.653.0846.65▲ Improved since 2013
Japan: 3.08 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 183rd of 195 · derived, 1st = worst.
Account Ownership Among WomenWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 71.2498.7271.24▲ Improved since 2014
Japan: 98.72 · world median 71.24 · Women with an account (% of women aged 15+). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 11.91 to 99.85; higher is better.
Position 12th of 139 · derived.
Institutional DeliveriesUNICEF · 2025 · world median 96.999.896.9No earlier reading
Japan: 99.8 · world median 96.9 · Live births delivered in a health facility (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.5 to 100; higher is better.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.0590.351▲ Improved since 2013
Japan: 0.059 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 22nd of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Gender Social Norms IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 91.8158.8291.81No earlier reading
Japan: 58.82 · world median 91.81 · People with at least one bias against gender equality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 27.39 to 99.92; lower is better.
Position 76th of 91 · derived, 1st = worst.
Births Attended by Skilled Health StaffUNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance) · 2023 · world median 99.399.899.3▼ Worsened since 2014
Japan: 99.8 · world median 99.3 · Births attended by skilled health staff (%). UNICEF and WHO (Joint Database on Skilled Birth Attendance), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 60.9 to 100; higher is better.
Position 23rd of 84 · derived.
Demand for Family Planning Satisfied by Modern MethodsUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 71.2575.671.25▲ Improved since 2013
Japan: 75.6 · world median 71.25 · Share of women aged 15–49 wanting to avoid pregnancy who use a modern method (%). UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 8.4 to 92.4; higher is better.
Position 73rd of 196 · derived.
Women's Empowerment IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.6150.6510.615No earlier reading
Japan: 0.651 · world median 0.615 · Women's Empowerment Index (0–1; higher = more empowerment). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.828; higher is better.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3655.9153.36▲ Improved since 2015
Japan: 55.91 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 75th of 182 · derived.
Firms with Female Participation in OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 35.1236.2835.12No earlier reading
Japan: 36.28 · world median 35.12 · Firms with at least one woman among the owners (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.273 to 86.78; higher is better.
Position 87th of 181 · derived.
Behind the world median2
Statistics on which Japan does worse than the middle country measured.
Gender Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.9710.970.971▲ Improved since 2013
Japan: 0.97 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 89th of 184 · derived.
Global Gender Parity IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women · 2022 · world median 0.7260.6270.726No earlier reading
Japan: 0.627 · world median 0.726 · Global Gender Parity Index (women's achievements relative to men's; 1 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office and UN Women, 2023 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0.141 to 0.925; higher is better.
Level with the median, or no median to compare1
Length of Paid Maternity LeaveWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 989898▼ Worsened since 2015
Japan: 98 · world median 98 · Paid maternity leave set in law (calendar days). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 410; higher is better.
No better end4
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Mean Age at First Marriage, WomenUN DESA Population Division · 2019 · world median 24.6529.224.65No earlier reading
Japan: 29.2 · world median 24.65 · Singulate mean age at marriage, women (years). UN DESA Population Division, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 17 to 34.
Sex Ratio at BirthUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median 105.1105.1105.1Moved since 2013
Japan: 105.1 · world median 105.1 · Male births per 100 female births. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 101.1 to 116.3.
Female-Headed HouseholdsUN DESA Population Division · 2026 · world median 33.2127.2633.21No earlier reading
Japan: 27.26 · world median 33.21 · Households headed by a woman (% of households). UN DESA Population Division, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 5.33 to 64.59.
Female Share of ResearchersUIS · 2024 · world median 38.1718.4838.17No earlier reading
Japan: 18.48 · world median 38.17 · Researchers who are women (% of headcount; 50 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.54.
No current reading for Japan
Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2023), Female Share of STEM Graduates, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment (last 2023), Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Gender & Equality among Japan’s 15 topics
Gender & Equality is Japan’s 14th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Work & Labour2nd of 1824/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation2nd of 1764/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture5th of 1842/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing7th of 2003/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 9th of 1984/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 10th of 1944/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge13th of 1982/4 keys
- Peace & Security12th of 1774/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital18th of 1963/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade25th of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties28th of 1984/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience55th of 1934/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality56th of 1593/3 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 116th of 1834/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability161st of 1864/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on gender & equality
The three countries placed highest of 183, and the leaders Japan can most readily be measured against.
1
LatviaNorthern Europe
1st of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Marcin Szala · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2TaiwanEastern Asia
2nd of 183 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
ItalySouthern Europe
3rd of 183 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Francisco Antunes · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Taiwan2nd3/4 keysThis page
Japan=116th4/4 keys
Positions out of 183 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Japan on gender & equality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Japan rank on gender & equality?
Japan is placed joint 116th of 183 countries on Gender & Equality in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Women, Business and the Law, Women's Political Empowerment Index, Firms with a Female Top Manager and Social Institutions and Gender Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Women, Business and the Law figure for Japan?
81.25 in 2025 (wBL Index (0–100, where 100 is full legal parity)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 81.25.
What is the latest Women's Political Empowerment Index figure for Japan?
0.844 in 2025 (women's political empowerment index (0–1)), according to V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. The world median in the same edition was 0.772.
How have Japan’s gender & equality figures changed?
Women, Business and the Law rose from 73.75 in 2000 to 81.25 in 2025; Women's Political Empowerment Index rose from 0.773 in 2000 to 0.844 in 2025.
Which gender & equality statistics are missing for Japan?
No current reading is published for Japan on Antenatal Care Coverage, At Least Four Visits, Caesarean Section Rate, Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Female Share of STEM Graduates, Gender Parity Index, Tertiary Enrolment, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Women Who Think a Husband Is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Violence against women is not a key here, because comparable data covers too few countries. The Gender Inequality Index is published here as context rather than as a key: its reading is driven largely by maternal and adolescent health, which moves with a country’s overall development and is already measured under Development and Health. Women’s labour force participation, women in management and child marriage are published here as context too.
How the Gender & Equality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The gender & equality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Women, Business and the Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Women's Political Empowerment Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Firms with a Female Top Manager — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Social Institutions and Gender Index — OECD, OECD Terms and Conditions — data clause
The other 19 statistics on this page come from 9 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Japan’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Japan (banner) — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Latvia — Marcin Szala, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Italy — Francisco Antunes, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Japan: Gender & Equality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/japan/gender