Japan's expense (current LCU) was 117.32 trillion in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 29.43% from 90.64 trillion in 2012 (2.61% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 117.32 trillion | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 89.57 trillion | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 90.64 trillion | 2012 |
| Highest | 127.39 trillion | 2020 |
| Lowest | 10.62 trillion | 1972 |
| Average since 2013 | 100.07 trillion | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 10.62 trillion |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Japan's expense (current LCU) fell 1.9% on 2021 (from 119.57 trillion to 117.32 trillion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2021), the average change was +2.5% and a typical year strayed about 11% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 39% in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.3% in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.67 trillion a year. A straight line explains 55% 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.
How it compares
In 2022, Japan had the 2nd highest value of the 25 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 2022 ranking
What this measures
Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
All 48 values
| Year | Expense (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 117,320,600,000,000 |
| 2021 | 119,565,900,000,000 |
| 2020 | 127,388,300,000,000 |
| 2019 | 91,630,700,000,000 |
| 2018 | 89,457,800,000,000 |
| 2017 | 89,572,100,000,000 |
| 2016 | 90,970,100,000,000 |
| 2015 | 91,324,800,000,000 |
| 2014 | 91,176,700,000,000 |
| 2013 | 92,281,600,000,000 |
Expense (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Australia — 644.6 billion (2022)
- Cambodia — 22.54 trillion (2023)
- Fiji — 3.42 billion (2023)
- Kiribati — 367.36 million (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 682.2 trillion (2023)
- Lao PDR — 22.4 trillion (2022)
- Macao SAR, China — 72.06 billion (2023)
- Malaysia — 310.25 billion (2023)
- Marshall Islands — 143.73 million (2020)
- Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 87.36 million (2020)
- Mongolia — 13.81 trillion (2021)
- Myanmar
More public sector data for Japan
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 1.72 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 62.16 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 9.3 trillion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.41% (2025)
- Expense (% of GDP) — 20.06% (2022)
- Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 3.81% (2025)
- Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 0.23 (2023)
- Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 0.23 (2023)
- Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 0.23 (2023)
- Armed forces personnel, total
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Japan's expense (current LCU)?
- 117.32 trillion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1972?
- It is up 1,005% from 10.62 trillion in 1972 (4.92% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 127.39 trillion in 2020 and the lowest 10.62 trillion in 1972.
- How does Japan rank?
- 2nd highest of 25 economies with data for 2022.
- Is the latest change in expense (current LCU) unusual for Japan?
- In 2022, Japan's expense (current LCU) fell 1.9% on 2021 (from 119.57 trillion to 117.32 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2021), the average change was +2.5% and a typical year strayed about 11% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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