Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan
Japan: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 6.13 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Japan recorded 6.13 for happiness vs. life satisfaction in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan peaked at 6.15 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.87, in 2019.
Japan ranks 60th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6.06 | — |
| 2012 | 6.06 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 5.99 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 5.92 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 5.92 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.92 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 5.89 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 5.87 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.94 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 6.04 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 6.13 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 6.06 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 6.15 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 6.13 | -0.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 6.13 is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.63, 92% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- Japan's 6.13 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.06, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.95 | 5.87 | 6.06 | 8 |
| 2020s | 6.07 | 5.94 | 6.15 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More social development data for Japan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,450 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Japan was 6.13 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.15 in 2024.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.87 in 2019.
- How does Japan rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Japan ranks 60th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.