Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in Japan

Japan: Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP was 39.44 in 2031. ▲ Rising

Latest (2031)
39.44
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
7th
of 26 countries
All-time high
43.56
in 2020
All-time low
28.54
in 1989
Years of data
52
1980–2031

Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in Japan, 1980–2031

010203040198020052031

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

The most recent figure for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Japan is 39.44, measured in 2031.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Japan peaked at 43.56 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 28.54, in 1989.

That places Japan 7th out of 26 countries with data for 2031, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025) in Japan, 1980 to 2031.
Year Value Change
1980 30.05
1981 30.81 +2.5%
1982 31.02 +0.7%
1983 31.13 +0.3%
1984 30.5 -2.0%
1985 29.73 -2.5%
1986 29.72 -0.0%
1987 29.96 +0.8%
1988 29.23 -2.4%
1989 28.54 -2.4%
1990 28.8 +0.9%
1991 28.64 -0.5%
1992 29.62 +3.4%
1993 31.42 +6.1%
1994 32.11 +2.2%
1995 32.85 +2.3%
1996 33.13 +0.8%
1997 32.43 -2.1%
1998 38.15 +17.6%
1999 35.16 -7.8%
2000 35.42 +0.7%
2001 34.69 -2.1%
2002 34.87 +0.5%
2003 34.63 -0.7%
2004 33.35 -3.7%
2005 33.22 -0.4%
2006 32.73 -1.5%
2007 32.8 +0.2%
2008 33.75 +2.9%
2009 38.34 +13.6%
2010 37.45 -2.3%
2011 38.44 +2.6%
2012 38.36 -0.2%
2013 38.41 +0.1%
2014 37.77 -1.7%
2015 36.58 -3.1%
2016 36.48 -0.3%
2017 35.9 -1.6%
2018 35.95 +0.2%
2019 36.42 +1.3%
2020 43.56 +19.6%
2021 41.35 -5.1%
2022 40.21 -2.8%
2023 37.78 -6.1%
2024 37.31 -1.2%
2025 36.86 -1.2%
2026 37.62 +2.1%
2027 37.92 +0.8%
2028 38.39 +1.2%
2029 38.68 +0.8%
2030 39.08 +1.0%
2031 39.44 +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 30.07 28.54 31.13 10
1990s 32.23 28.64 38.15 10
2000s 34.38 32.73 38.34 10
2010s 37.18 35.9 38.44 10
2020s 38.97 36.86 43.56 10
2030s 39.26 39.08 39.44 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 4 Latvia 45.34 compare
  2. 5 Montenegro 45.14 compare
  3. 6 Lithuania 43.29 compare
  4. 8 Ecuador 38.39 compare
  5. 9 Maldives 37.89 compare
  6. 10 Australia 37.53 compare

See the full ranking of 26 places →

More public sector data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Japan?
Expenditure, general government, percent of gdp in Japan was 39.44 in 2031, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 43.56 in 2020.
What is the lowest expenditure, general government, percent of gdp recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 28.54 in 1989.
How does Japan rank for expenditure, general government, percent of gdp?
Japan ranks 7th out of 26 countries with data for 2031.
Is expenditure, general government, percent of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/expenditure-general-government-percent-of-gdp-9-26-2025/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Expenditure, General government, Percent of GDP (9/26/2025)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
26 places, 1,067 data points, 1980–2031
Last refreshed

The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format.