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Data as of 31 October 2025Published 31 July 2026

A record 2.57 million foreign workers in Japan

Official notifications show where employers reported foreign workers, which industries employ them, and how the total changed through October 2025.

2,571,037workers+11.7%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-1

01

Foreign employment reached another record

2,571,037 foreign workers were reported in October 2025, up 11.7% in one year.

The number of workplaces employing foreign workers rose to 371,215, an 8.5% increase. Worker growth outpaced workplace growth for the second year in this five-year view.

02

Nearly 850,000 more workers than in 2021

The reported total grew by 49% between October 2021 and October 2025.

Growth was modest in 2021, then accelerated. The annual increase exceeded 11% in each of the latest three observations.

Foreign workers reported by employers, 2021–2025

The total rose from 1,727,221 in 2021 to 2,571,037 in 2025.

Select measure

workers: 2,571,037 · annual growth 11.7%

Foreign workers reported by employers, 2021–2025. workers. The total rose from 1,727,221 in 2021 to 2,571,037 in 2025.1,388,3602,776,7201,727,22120211,822,72520222,048,67520232,302,58720242,571,0372025
View data table
View data table
Yearworkersannual growth
20211,727,2210.2%
20221,822,7255.5%
20232,048,67512.4%
20242,302,58712.4%
20252,571,03711.7%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-1

03

Vietnam remained the largest nationality group

Vietnamese workers numbered 605,906, equal to 23.6% of the total.

China followed with 431,949 workers and the Philippines with 260,869. The fastest annual increases among the groups highlighted by the ministry were Myanmar at 42.5%, Indonesia at 34.6%, and Sri Lanka at 28.9%.

Foreign workers by nationality

Vietnam ranked first with 605,906 workers; Myanmar recorded the fastest annual growth at 42.5%.

Select year

2025 · Vietnam: 605,906

View data table · 2025
View data table · 2025
Nationalityworkersannual growth
Vietnam605,9066.2%
China (including Hong Kong and Macao)431,9495.7%
Philippines260,8696.2%
Nepal235,87425.7%
Indonesia228,11834.6%
Other188,67310.1%
Myanmar163,31142.5%
Brazil134,645-1.1%
South Korea80,1936.9%
Sri Lanka50,42728.9%
Thailand41,4684.2%
India31,63611.2%
Peru31,448-0.4%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-4

04

One quarter were reported in Tokyo

Tokyo accounted for 652,251 workers, about one in four nationwide.

Aichi ranked second with 249,076 and Osaka third with 208,051. The distribution reflects where employers filed notifications, not where workers necessarily lived.

Foreign workers by prefecture

Tokyo had 652,251 workers, followed by Aichi with 249,076 and Osaka with 208,051.

Select year

2025 · Tokyo: 652,251

0652,251
View data table · 2025
View data table · 2025
Prefectureworkersannual growth
Tokyo652,25111.3%
Aichi249,0768.5%
Osaka208,05119.1%
Kanagawa148,88811.0%
Saitama133,04910.8%
Chiba105,82914.4%
Shizuoka88,9689.1%
Fukuoka85,38512.1%
Hyogo77,01616.4%
Ibaraki67,5009.0%
Gunma61,0407.2%
Hiroshima51,8217.2%
Hokkaido51,35817.0%
Gifu47,5348.7%
Kyoto40,99317.8%
Mie40,2368.5%
Tochigi38,8179.1%
Nagano30,67210.2%
Okayama29,61211.0%
Shiga25,6672.7%
Kumamoto24,07612.3%
Okinawa20,35418.1%
Miyagi20,2343.5%
Ishikawa16,92212.1%
Niigata16,62615.8%
Kagoshima16,56216.3%
Kagawa16,55714.8%
Toyama16,46010.2%
Ehime15,9259.5%
Fukui15,16911.6%
Fukushima15,07910.0%
Oita14,37818.1%
Yamaguchi14,04210.1%
Yamanashi13,73210.2%
Nagasaki12,80715.4%
Nara11,41815.0%
Saga9,93213.5%
Miyazaki9,71814.1%
Iwate8,4157.0%
Tokushima7,32413.5%
Yamagata7,2839.3%
Aomori6,88211.2%
Wakayama6,80819.2%
Shimane6,1849.0%
Kochi5,91611.8%
Tottori4,47814.5%
Akita3,99312.9%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-7 · Schematic map

05

Professional and technical statuses became the largest category

865,588 workers held a professional or technical residence status.

The category includes several statuses and the ministry’s newer specified skilled worker classification. Status-based residence categories and technical intern training were also major routes into employment.

Foreign workers by residence-status group

Professional and technical statuses accounted for 865,588 of 2,571,037 workers.

Select year

2025 · Professional or technical: 865,588 (33.7%)

View data table · 2025
View data table · 2025
Residence statusworkersshare of workersannual growth
Professional or technical865,58833.7%20.4%
Status-based residence645,59025.1%2.6%
Technical intern training499,39419.4%6.1%
Activities outside status449,32417.5%12.8%
Designated activities111,0744.3%29.6%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-5

06

Manufacturing employed almost one quarter

Manufacturing employed 635,075 foreign workers, or 24.7% of the total.

Medical and welfare employment grew 25.6% from the previous year. Industry categories follow the Japan Standard Industrial Classification used in the ministry tables.

Foreign workers by industry

Manufacturing was the largest industry at 635,075 workers; medical and welfare grew 25.6%.

Select year

2025 · Manufacturing: 635,075

View data table · 2025
View data table · 2025
Industryworkersannual growth
Manufacturing635,0756.1%
Other services391,94610.6%
Other industries349,60812.6%
Wholesale and retail340,68714.2%
Accommodation and food services319,99917.1%
Construction206,46816.1%
Medical and welfare146,10525.6%
Information and communications97,9248.1%
Education83,2250.4%

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Foreign Employment Status,” tables · 参考-6

07

How to read these figures

These are employer notifications, not a survey or a count of every foreign resident.

Totals cover employees whose employers were required to notify the government. Small differences in displayed shares can result from rounding. Each chart links back to the ministry release and identifies the source table.