Japan salary vs the world — OECD average wage comparison
How does Japan's average salary stack up against the US, UK, Germany, France, South Korea and other OECD countries? PPP-adjusted USD comparison from OECD official statistics.
Japan average wage
$41,509
2022 OECD figure, PPP-adjusted USD
Japan rank in OECD
#22 / 28
Out of 28 reported countries
Japan vs US
53.6%
Japan as % of US average wage
Ranking by average annual wage (OECD)
Annual wages in constant 2022 USD, PPP-adjusted. PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) removes price-level differences, making comparisons meaningful across countries with different costs of living.
| # | Country | Annual wage (USD PPP) | Relative scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LuxembourgLU | $78,310 | |
| 2 | United StatesUS | $77,463 | |
| 3 | SwitzerlandCH | $72,993 | |
| 4 | IcelandIS | $72,047 | |
| 5 | DenmarkDK | $65,330 | |
| 6 | NetherlandsNL | $65,302 | |
| 7 | BelgiumBE | $64,848 | |
| 8 | NorwayNO | $60,668 | |
| 9 | AustriaAT | $59,453 | |
| 10 | AustraliaAU | $59,408 | |
| 11 | CanadaCA | $59,050 | |
| 12 | GermanyDE | $58,940 | |
| 13 | IrelandIE | $57,766 | |
| 14 | United KingdomGB | $53,985 | |
| 15 | FranceFR | $52,764 | |
| 16 | SwedenSE | $52,612 | |
| 17 | FinlandFI | $51,836 | |
| 18 | New ZealandNZ | $50,722 | |
| 19 | South KoreaKR | $48,922 | |
| 20 | ItalyIT | $44,893 | |
| 21 | SpainES | $42,859 | |
| 22 | JapanJP | $41,509 | |
| 23 | PolandPL | $35,053 | |
| 24 | Czech RepublicCZ | $33,475 | |
| 25 | PortugalPT | $31,922 | |
| 26 | HungaryHU | $31,228 | |
| 27 | GreeceGR | $27,338 | |
| 28 | MexicoMX | $16,685 |
Why PPP matters
A nominal USD comparison overstates rich countries because they have higher living costs. PPP adjustment converts wages to a common purchasing-power basis: if Japan's PPP-adjusted wage is ,509 vs US ,463, it means an average US worker can afford about 1.87× the goods/services of an average Japanese worker — not the larger nominal exchange-rate difference.