Japan: Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Japan's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 7.7% on 2019 (from 1.3 to 1.2).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +0.3% and a typical year strayed about 14.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 18.2% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 25% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Japan in the 2020 ranking

• Ukraine — 2nd of 5: 2.2
• Belarus — 3rd of 5: 1.6
• Australia — 4th of 5: 1.2

What this measures

The average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28 per day (adjusted for differences in purchasing power parity across countries). It is measured as the average factor by which incomes fall short of $28.

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

All 13 values

Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) in nearby economies

• Australia — 1.2 (2020)
• China — 2.4 (2022)
• Indonesia — 4.5 (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 0.7 (2021)
• Malaysia — 1.2 (2021)
• Mongolia — 2.7 (2022)
• Philippines — 4.4 (2023)
• Thailand — 2 (2024)
• Viet Nam

More poverty data for Japan

• Income share held by second 20% — 13% (2020)
• Income share held by third 20% — 17.6% (2020)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 23.2% (2020)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 39.4% (2020)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 24.3% (2020)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 13.4% (2020)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.3% (2020)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 6.8% (2020)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 1.2% (2020)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

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Questions people ask

What is Japan's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)?

1.2 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is down 14.29% from 1.4 in 2008 (1.28% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.4 in 2008 and the lowest 0.9 in 2015.

Is the latest change in prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) unusual for Japan?

In 2020, Japan's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 7.7% on 2019 (from 1.3 to 1.2). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2019), the average change was +0.3% and a typical year strayed about 14.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 SI.SPR.PGAP, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. 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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