Home / Comparisons / US vs Japan GDP per capita
US vs Japan GDP per capita
United States overtook Japan in 1987. In 1960 Japan stood at roughly 17% of United States’s GDP per capita; today the figure is about 40%, and the pair was closest in 1998 (100%).
| Year | United States | Japan | Japan as % of US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,999.86 | 519.42 | 17% |
| 1970 | 5,234.3 | 2,144.99 | 41% |
| 1980 | 12,574.79 | 9,872.35 | 79% |
| 1990 | 23,888.6 | 26,344.73 | 110% |
| 2000 | 36,329.97 | 39,752.94 | 109% |
| 2010 | 48,642.63 | 45,378.14 | 93% |
| 2020 | 64,465.3 | 41,098.97 | 64% |
| 2025 | 90,026.52 | 35,951.04 | 40% |
Frequently asked questions
When did United States pass Japan in GDP per capita?
In 1987. United States’s published GDP per capita rose above Japan’s that year and the lead has held since.
How do United States and Japan compare today?
United States is ahead: 90,026.52 against 35,951.04 — the trailing economy stands at about 40% of the leader.
Are these GDP per capita figures nominal or adjusted?
They are exactly as the World Bank publishes them — current US$ — with no inflation restatement, no PPP conversion and no interpolation for missing years.
Full series
Every published year for both economies, with charts, downloads and citations: