U.S. vs Japan: unemployment rate compared (2025)

2025 · Unemployment rate: U.S. 4.2%, Japan 2.45%. Higher: U.S. (+1.75pp).

World Bank

Recent figures

Period	U.S.	Japan	Gap (U.S. − Japan)
2025	4.2%	2.45%	+1.75pp
2024	4.02%	2.5%	+1.52pp
2023	3.64%	2.6%	+1.04pp
2022	3.65%	2.61%	+1.04pp
2021	5.35%	2.81%	+2.54pp
2020	8.06%	2.81%	+5.25pp
2019	3.67%	2.35%	+1.32pp
2018	3.9%	2.47%	+1.43pp
2017	4.36%	2.82%	+1.54pp
2016	4.87%	3.13%	+1.74pp

U.S.: Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) — World Bank
Japan: Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) — World Bank

Each figure comes from that country’s official source. Definitions can differ slightly between countries.