Freedom in Japan
Where Japan sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Japan has a figure for 49 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.847 | 2025 | 39 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.924 | 2025 | 3 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.925 | 2025 | 20 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.949 | 2025 | 30 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.978 | 2025 | 3 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.760 | 2025 | 59 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.431 | 2025 | 42 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 1.350 | 2025 | 41 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.810 | 2025 | 64 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 67 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 78.8 | 2023 | 98 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 69 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 1.000 | 2025 | 23 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 28 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 56.0 | 2025 | 20 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 40.0 | 2025 | 5 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign investment inflows | 1.0% | 2025 | 57 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 75.8 | 2024 | 19 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $48.3K | 2025 | 29 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 1.2% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 3.2% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 2.5% | 2025 | 21 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 85.5% | 2024 | 66 of 154 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.819 | 2025 | 24 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.734 | 2025 | 24 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.956 | 2025 | 18 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.881 | 2025 | 31 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.901 | 2025 | 26 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.050 | 2025 | 17 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.683 | 2025 | 88 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.844 | 2025 | 49 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 76.4 | 2024 | 26 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 75.3 | 2024 | 20 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 91.9 | 2024 | 1 of 169 |
| Political stability | 85.3 | 2024 | 8 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.925 | 2023 | 20 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 84.0 | 2024 | 4 of 170 |
| Health spending | 10.7% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 12.2% | 2023 | 28 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 3.0 | 2023 | 11 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 15.7% | 2025 | 124 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 55.9% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 1.15 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 92.3% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 0.0 | 2024 | 5 of 168 |
| Population | 123.4M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 7.84 | 2024 | 142 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 8.8% | 2021 | 140 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 41 of 169 |
What is missing
11 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Japan in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Japan, not a zero. Who publishes what