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.
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.
View data table
| Year | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,727,221 | 0.2% |
| 2022 | 1,822,725 | 5.5% |
| 2023 | 2,048,675 | 12.4% |
| 2024 | 2,302,587 | 12.4% |
| 2025 | 2,571,037 | 11.7% |
View data table
| Year | employing establishments | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 285,080 | 6.7% |
| 2022 | 298,790 | 4.8% |
| 2023 | 318,775 | 6.7% |
| 2024 | 342,087 | 7.3% |
| 2025 | 371,215 | 8.5% |
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%.
View data table · 2021
| Nationality | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 453,344 | 2.1% |
| China (including Hong Kong and Macao) | 397,084 | -5.3% |
| Philippines | 191,083 | 3.4% |
| Brazil | 134,977 | 2.9% |
| Other | 119,060 | 3.6% |
| Nepal | 98,260 | -1.4% |
| South Korea | 67,638 | -1.8% |
| Indonesia | 52,810 | -1.1% |
| Myanmar | 34,501 | 9.8% |
| Peru | 31,381 | 8.0% |
| Thailand | 29,355 | 0.7% |
| Sri Lanka | 19,938 | 4.3% |
| India | 19,169 | 0.7% |
View data table · 2022
| Nationality | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 462,384 | 2.0% |
| China (including Hong Kong and Macao) | 385,848 | -2.8% |
| Philippines | 206,050 | 7.8% |
| Brazil | 135,167 | 0.1% |
| Other | 132,768 | 11.5% |
| Nepal | 118,196 | 20.3% |
| Indonesia | 77,889 | 47.5% |
| South Korea | 67,335 | -0.4% |
| Myanmar | 47,498 | 37.7% |
| Thailand | 31,998 | 9.0% |
| Peru | 31,263 | -0.4% |
| Sri Lanka | 22,899 | 14.9% |
| India | 22,255 | 16.1% |
View data table · 2023
| Nationality | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 518,364 | 12.1% |
| China (including Hong Kong and Macao) | 397,918 | 3.1% |
| Philippines | 226,846 | 10.1% |
| Other | 151,799 | 14.3% |
| Nepal | 145,587 | 23.2% |
| Brazil | 137,132 | 1.5% |
| Indonesia | 121,507 | 56.0% |
| South Korea | 71,454 | 6.1% |
| Myanmar | 71,188 | 49.9% |
| Thailand | 36,543 | 14.2% |
| Peru | 31,584 | 1.0% |
| Sri Lanka | 29,273 | 27.8% |
| India | 25,598 | 15.0% |
View data table · 2024
| Nationality | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 570,708 | 10.1% |
| China (including Hong Kong and Macao) | 408,805 | 2.7% |
| Philippines | 245,565 | 8.3% |
| Nepal | 187,657 | 28.9% |
| Other | 171,392 | 12.9% |
| Indonesia | 169,539 | 39.5% |
| Brazil | 136,173 | -0.7% |
| Myanmar | 114,618 | 61.0% |
| South Korea | 75,003 | 5.0% |
| Thailand | 39,806 | 8.9% |
| Sri Lanka | 39,136 | 33.7% |
| Peru | 31,574 | -0.0% |
| India | 28,438 | 11.1% |
View data table · 2025
| Nationality | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 605,906 | 6.2% |
| China (including Hong Kong and Macao) | 431,949 | 5.7% |
| Philippines | 260,869 | 6.2% |
| Nepal | 235,874 | 25.7% |
| Indonesia | 228,118 | 34.6% |
| Other | 188,673 | 10.1% |
| Myanmar | 163,311 | 42.5% |
| Brazil | 134,645 | -1.1% |
| South Korea | 80,193 | 6.9% |
| Sri Lanka | 50,427 | 28.9% |
| Thailand | 41,468 | 4.2% |
| India | 31,636 | 11.2% |
| Peru | 31,448 | -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.
View data table · 2023
| Prefecture | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 542,992 | 8.6% |
| Aichi | 210,159 | 11.4% |
| Osaka | 146,384 | 17.5% |
| Kanagawa | 119,466 | 12.7% |
| Saitama | 103,515 | 11.4% |
| Chiba | 78,854 | 14.1% |
| Shizuoka | 74,859 | 10.3% |
| Fukuoka | 64,990 | 13.2% |
| Hyogo | 57,375 | 12.3% |
| Ibaraki | 54,875 | 13.4% |
| Gunma | 50,324 | 11.6% |
| Hiroshima | 44,093 | 13.9% |
| Gifu | 40,028 | 10.6% |
| Hokkaido | 35,439 | 27.4% |
| Mie | 33,753 | 7.9% |
| Tochigi | 32,728 | 9.7% |
| Kyoto | 28,506 | 22.8% |
| Nagano | 24,893 | 11.2% |
| Shiga | 24,791 | 7.3% |
| Okayama | 24,052 | 11.6% |
| Kumamoto | 18,226 | 25.5% |
| Miyagi | 16,586 | 12.2% |
| Okinawa | 14,406 | 22.8% |
| Toyama | 13,427 | 9.9% |
| Ishikawa | 13,068 | 14.1% |
| Ehime | 12,476 | 22.3% |
| Niigata | 12,462 | 16.4% |
| Kagawa | 12,302 | 19.7% |
| Kagoshima | 12,015 | 21.4% |
| Fukushima | 11,987 | 20.7% |
| Yamanashi | 11,227 | 7.6% |
| Fukui | 11,101 | 5.1% |
| Yamaguchi | 10,931 | 19.3% |
| Oita | 9,982 | 19.1% |
| Nagasaki | 8,663 | 24.6% |
| Nara | 8,447 | 19.4% |
| Saga | 7,350 | 21.4% |
| Iwate | 7,082 | 23.2% |
| Miyazaki | 7,021 | 25.0% |
| Yamagata | 5,743 | 24.8% |
| Tokushima | 5,656 | 11.7% |
| Aomori | 5,584 | 28.7% |
| Shimane | 4,978 | 7.9% |
| Wakayama | 4,682 | 22.7% |
| Kochi | 4,510 | 19.2% |
| Tottori | 3,526 | 14.8% |
| Akita | 3,161 | 26.5% |
View data table · 2024
| Prefecture | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 585,791 | 7.9% |
| Aichi | 229,627 | 9.3% |
| Osaka | 174,699 | 19.3% |
| Kanagawa | 134,101 | 12.3% |
| Saitama | 120,062 | 16.0% |
| Chiba | 92,516 | 17.3% |
| Shizuoka | 81,560 | 9.0% |
| Fukuoka | 76,199 | 17.2% |
| Hyogo | 66,165 | 15.3% |
| Ibaraki | 61,909 | 12.8% |
| Gunma | 56,938 | 13.1% |
| Hiroshima | 48,351 | 9.7% |
| Hokkaido | 43,881 | 23.8% |
| Gifu | 43,733 | 9.3% |
| Mie | 37,091 | 9.9% |
| Tochigi | 35,569 | 8.7% |
| Kyoto | 34,786 | 22.0% |
| Nagano | 27,834 | 11.8% |
| Okayama | 26,676 | 10.9% |
| Shiga | 24,990 | 0.8% |
| Kumamoto | 21,437 | 17.6% |
| Miyagi | 19,554 | 17.9% |
| Okinawa | 17,239 | 19.7% |
| Ishikawa | 15,092 | 15.5% |
| Toyama | 14,930 | 11.2% |
| Ehime | 14,550 | 16.6% |
| Kagawa | 14,428 | 17.3% |
| Niigata | 14,358 | 15.2% |
| Kagoshima | 14,240 | 18.5% |
| Fukushima | 13,710 | 14.4% |
| Fukui | 13,594 | 22.5% |
| Yamaguchi | 12,754 | 16.7% |
| Yamanashi | 12,462 | 11.0% |
| Oita | 12,176 | 22.0% |
| Nagasaki | 11,096 | 28.1% |
| Nara | 9,929 | 17.5% |
| Saga | 8,749 | 19.0% |
| Miyazaki | 8,515 | 21.3% |
| Iwate | 7,866 | 11.1% |
| Yamagata | 6,661 | 16.0% |
| Tokushima | 6,452 | 14.1% |
| Aomori | 6,190 | 10.9% |
| Wakayama | 5,711 | 22.0% |
| Shimane | 5,675 | 14.0% |
| Kochi | 5,293 | 17.4% |
| Tottori | 3,912 | 10.9% |
| Akita | 3,536 | 11.9% |
View data table · 2025
| Prefecture | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 652,251 | 11.3% |
| Aichi | 249,076 | 8.5% |
| Osaka | 208,051 | 19.1% |
| Kanagawa | 148,888 | 11.0% |
| Saitama | 133,049 | 10.8% |
| Chiba | 105,829 | 14.4% |
| Shizuoka | 88,968 | 9.1% |
| Fukuoka | 85,385 | 12.1% |
| Hyogo | 77,016 | 16.4% |
| Ibaraki | 67,500 | 9.0% |
| Gunma | 61,040 | 7.2% |
| Hiroshima | 51,821 | 7.2% |
| Hokkaido | 51,358 | 17.0% |
| Gifu | 47,534 | 8.7% |
| Kyoto | 40,993 | 17.8% |
| Mie | 40,236 | 8.5% |
| Tochigi | 38,817 | 9.1% |
| Nagano | 30,672 | 10.2% |
| Okayama | 29,612 | 11.0% |
| Shiga | 25,667 | 2.7% |
| Kumamoto | 24,076 | 12.3% |
| Okinawa | 20,354 | 18.1% |
| Miyagi | 20,234 | 3.5% |
| Ishikawa | 16,922 | 12.1% |
| Niigata | 16,626 | 15.8% |
| Kagoshima | 16,562 | 16.3% |
| Kagawa | 16,557 | 14.8% |
| Toyama | 16,460 | 10.2% |
| Ehime | 15,925 | 9.5% |
| Fukui | 15,169 | 11.6% |
| Fukushima | 15,079 | 10.0% |
| Oita | 14,378 | 18.1% |
| Yamaguchi | 14,042 | 10.1% |
| Yamanashi | 13,732 | 10.2% |
| Nagasaki | 12,807 | 15.4% |
| Nara | 11,418 | 15.0% |
| Saga | 9,932 | 13.5% |
| Miyazaki | 9,718 | 14.1% |
| Iwate | 8,415 | 7.0% |
| Tokushima | 7,324 | 13.5% |
| Yamagata | 7,283 | 9.3% |
| Aomori | 6,882 | 11.2% |
| Wakayama | 6,808 | 19.2% |
| Shimane | 6,184 | 9.0% |
| Kochi | 5,916 | 11.8% |
| Tottori | 4,478 | 14.5% |
| Akita | 3,993 | 12.9% |
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.
- Status-based residence33.6%
- Professional or technical22.8%
- Technical intern training20.4%
- Activities outside status19.4%
- Designated activities3.8%
View data table · 2021
| Residence status | workers | share of workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status-based residence | 580,328 | 33.6% | 6.2% |
| Professional or technical | 394,509 | 22.8% | 9.7% |
| Technical intern training | 351,788 | 20.4% | -12.6% |
| Activities outside status | 334,603 | 19.4% | -9.7% |
| Designated activities | 65,928 | 3.8% | 44.7% |
- Status-based residence32.7%
- Professional or technical26.3%
- Technical intern training18.8%
- Activities outside status18.2%
- Designated activities4.0%
View data table · 2022
| Residence status | workers | share of workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status-based residence | 595,207 | 32.7% | 2.6% |
| Professional or technical | 479,949 | 26.3% | 21.7% |
| Technical intern training | 343,254 | 18.8% | -2.4% |
| Activities outside status | 330,910 | 18.2% | -1.1% |
| Designated activities | 73,363 | 4.0% | 11.3% |
- Status-based residence30.1%
- Professional or technical29.1%
- Technical intern training20.1%
- Activities outside status17.2%
- Designated activities3.5%
View data table · 2023
| Residence status | workers | share of workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status-based residence | 615,934 | 30.1% | 3.5% |
| Professional or technical | 595,904 | 29.1% | 24.2% |
| Technical intern training | 412,501 | 20.1% | 20.2% |
| Activities outside status | 352,581 | 17.2% | 6.5% |
| Designated activities | 71,676 | 3.5% | -2.3% |
- Professional or technical31.2%
- Status-based residence27.3%
- Technical intern training20.4%
- Activities outside status17.3%
- Designated activities3.7%
View data table · 2024
| Residence status | workers | share of workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional or technical | 718,812 | 31.2% | 20.6% |
| Status-based residence | 629,117 | 27.3% | 2.1% |
| Technical intern training | 470,725 | 20.4% | 14.1% |
| Activities outside status | 398,167 | 17.3% | 12.9% |
| Designated activities | 85,686 | 3.7% | 19.5% |
- Professional or technical33.7%
- Status-based residence25.1%
- Technical intern training19.4%
- Activities outside status17.5%
- Designated activities4.3%
View data table · 2025
| Residence status | workers | share of workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional or technical | 865,588 | 33.7% | 20.4% |
| Status-based residence | 645,590 | 25.1% | 2.6% |
| Technical intern training | 499,394 | 19.4% | 6.1% |
| Activities outside status | 449,324 | 17.5% | 12.8% |
| Designated activities | 111,074 | 4.3% | 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%.
View data table · 2021
| Industry | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 465,729 | -3.4% |
| Other services | 282,127 | 1.9% |
| Other industries | 234,955 | 0.8% |
| Wholesale and retail | 228,998 | -1.3% |
| Accommodation and food services | 203,492 | 0.3% |
| Construction | 110,018 | -0.8% |
| Education | 73,506 | 2.4% |
| Information and communications | 70,608 | -0.9% |
| Medical and welfare | 57,788 | 33.0% |
View data table · 2022
| Industry | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 485,128 | 4.2% |
| Other services | 295,700 | 4.8% |
| Other industries | 251,052 | 6.9% |
| Wholesale and retail | 237,928 | 3.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 208,981 | 2.7% |
| Construction | 116,789 | 6.2% |
| Education | 76,854 | 4.6% |
| Information and communications | 75,954 | 7.6% |
| Medical and welfare | 74,339 | 28.6% |
View data table · 2023
| Industry | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 552,399 | 13.9% |
| Other services | 320,755 | 8.5% |
| Other industries | 276,801 | 10.3% |
| Wholesale and retail | 263,555 | 10.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 233,911 | 11.9% |
| Construction | 144,981 | 24.1% |
| Medical and welfare | 90,839 | 22.2% |
| Information and communications | 85,401 | 12.4% |
| Education | 80,033 | 4.1% |
View data table · 2024
| Industry | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 598,314 | 8.3% |
| Other services | 354,418 | 10.5% |
| Other industries | 310,474 | 12.2% |
| Wholesale and retail | 298,348 | 13.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 273,333 | 16.9% |
| Construction | 177,902 | 22.7% |
| Medical and welfare | 116,350 | 28.1% |
| Information and communications | 90,546 | 6.0% |
| Education | 82,902 | 3.6% |
View data table · 2025
| Industry | workers | annual growth |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 635,075 | 6.1% |
| Other services | 391,946 | 10.6% |
| Other industries | 349,608 | 12.6% |
| Wholesale and retail | 340,687 | 14.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 319,999 | 17.1% |
| Construction | 206,468 | 16.1% |
| Medical and welfare | 146,105 | 25.6% |
| Information and communications | 97,924 | 8.1% |
| Education | 83,225 | 0.4% |
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.