Rice yields in Japan
Japan: Rice yields was 6.96 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Rice yields in Japan, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, rice yields in Japan stood at 6.96 tonnes per hectare.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice yields in Japan peaked at 6.99 tonnes per hectare in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4.58 tonnes per hectare, in 1993.
Japan ranks 14th of 124 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Rice yields in Japan, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.88 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 5.14 tonnes per hectare | +5.3% |
| 1963 | 5.08 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 5.01 tonnes per hectare | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 4.95 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 5.08 tonnes per hectare | +2.7% |
| 1967 | 5.75 tonnes per hectare | +13.1% |
| 1968 | 5.72 tonnes per hectare | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 5.55 tonnes per hectare | -2.9% |
| 1970 | 5.63 tonnes per hectare | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.24 tonnes per hectare | -6.9% |
| 1972 | 5.85 tonnes per hectare | +11.5% |
| 1973 | 6.02 tonnes per hectare | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 5.86 tonnes per hectare | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 6.19 tonnes per hectare | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 5.48 tonnes per hectare | -11.4% |
| 1977 | 6.17 tonnes per hectare | +12.6% |
| 1978 | 6.18 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 5.99 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 5.13 tonnes per hectare | -14.3% |
| 1981 | 5.63 tonnes per hectare | +9.8% |
| 1982 | 5.69 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 5.7 tonnes per hectare | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 6.41 tonnes per hectare | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 6.22 tonnes per hectare | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 6.32 tonnes per hectare | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 6.19 tonnes per hectare | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 5.89 tonnes per hectare | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 6.17 tonnes per hectare | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 6.33 tonnes per hectare | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 5.86 tonnes per hectare | -7.4% |
| 1992 | 6.28 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 1993 | 4.58 tonnes per hectare | -27.0% |
| 1994 | 6.77 tonnes per hectare | +47.9% |
| 1995 | 6.34 tonnes per hectare | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 6.54 tonnes per hectare | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 6.42 tonnes per hectare | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 6.22 tonnes per hectare | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 6.41 tonnes per hectare | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 6.7 tonnes per hectare | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 6.64 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 6.58 tonnes per hectare | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 5.85 tonnes per hectare | -11.1% |
| 2004 | 6.42 tonnes per hectare | +9.7% |
| 2005 | 6.65 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 6.34 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 6.51 tonnes per hectare | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 6.78 tonnes per hectare | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 6.52 tonnes per hectare | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 6.51 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 6.65 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 6.86 tonnes per hectare | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 6.93 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 6.98 tonnes per hectare | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 6.88 tonnes per hectare | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.96 tonnes per hectare | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.92 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 6.84 tonnes per hectare | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 6.83 tonnes per hectare | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.83 tonnes per hectare | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 6.99 tonnes per hectare | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 6.98 tonnes per hectare | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 6.86 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 6.96 tonnes per hectare | +1.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 6.96 tonnes per hectare is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.11 tonnes per hectare, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Japan's 6.96 tonnes per hectare is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.79 tonnes per hectare, 1.8× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rice yields in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +47.9% | 4.58 tonnes per hectare | 6.77 tonnes per hectare |
| 1993 | -27.0% | 6.28 tonnes per hectare | 4.58 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.24 tonnes per hectare | 4.88 tonnes per hectare | 5.75 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.86 tonnes per hectare | 5.24 tonnes per hectare | 6.19 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.94 tonnes per hectare | 5.13 tonnes per hectare | 6.41 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.17 tonnes per hectare | 4.58 tonnes per hectare | 6.77 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.5 tonnes per hectare | 5.85 tonnes per hectare | 6.78 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.84 tonnes per hectare | 6.51 tonnes per hectare | 6.98 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.92 tonnes per hectare | 6.83 tonnes per hectare | 6.99 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rice yields in Japan?
- Rice yields in Japan was 6.96 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rice yields recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.99 tonnes per hectare in 2021.
- What is the lowest rice yields recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.58 tonnes per hectare in 1993.
- How does Japan rank for rice yields?
- Japan ranks 14th out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice yields rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Rice yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.