Japan: Energy imports, net (% of energy use)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Japan's energy imports, net (% of energy use) rose 0.03 percentage points on 2023 (from 87.25% to 87.28%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.12 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.43 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.08 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.6 percentage points in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.84 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 84.38% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 1.02%, against 1.36% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Japan had the 12th highest value of the 137 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Japan in the 2024 ranking

• Greece — 9th of 137: 93.54%
• Belgium — 10th of 137: 88.51%
• Netherlands — 11th of 137: 88.38%
• Ireland — 13th of 137: 87.24%
• Moldova — 14th of 137: 85.12%
• Korea, Rep. — 15th of 137: 83.24%

What this measures

Net energy imports are estimated as gross imports less gross exports, both measured in tons of oil equivalents (toe). A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

Limitations: The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts. The IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes, and energy statistics undergo continual changes in coverage or methodology as more detailed energy accounts become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 35 values

Energy imports, net (% of energy use) in nearby economies

• Australia — -211.16% (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — -203.83% (2024)
• China — 24.02% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 215.62% (2024)
• Indonesia — -92.85% (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 5.04% (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 83.24% (2024)
• Lao PDR — -59.15% (2024)
• Malaysia — 8.48% (2024)
• Mongolia — -498.28% (2024)

More environment data for Japan

• Population in largest city — 37.04 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 32.53% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 80.94 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 65.61% (2025)
• Rural population — 9.5 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 7.7% (2025)
• Urban population — 113.87 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 92.3% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 802,045 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Japan's energy imports, net (% of energy use)?

87.28% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 1.15 percentage points from 86.12% in 1990. The highest value was 96.12% in 2012 and the lowest 80.32% in 1998.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.IMP.CONS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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