postal and online questionnaire; among business establishments with five or more regular workers
Supplementary notes
Parental leave acquisition rate = among those giving birth, the share of employees who started (or applied for) parental leave in the past year prior to the beginning of the survey on October 1 in the respective year* / number of employees who had a child within the past year prior to the survey. (In case of men, the share of those whose spouse gave birth.)
Figures for men include those who took Postpartum Papa Childcare Leave (up to four weeks within eight weeks after childbirth) which was introduced in October 2022.
*1996 to 2010: Within one year until March 31 of the previous year.
Figures from the fiscal year 2011 did not include data of the prefectures Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
Citation formats
Parental leave acquisition rate in Japan 1996-2024, by gender
In 2024, around **** percent of female employees in Japan who gave birth to a child in the previous year, and more than **** percent of male employees were taking parental leave. Although the childcare leave acquisition rate of male employees who newly became parents remained much lower compared to that of female employees, the rate jumped significantly after the "Postpartum Papa Childcare Leave" system was introduced in October 2022.
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MHLW (Japan). (July 29, 2025). Ratio of employees taking parental leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by gender [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 08, 2026, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/
MHLW (Japan). "Ratio of employees taking parental leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by gender." Chart. July 29, 2025. Statista. Accessed May 08, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/
MHLW (Japan). (2025). Ratio of employees taking parental leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by gender. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 08, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/
MHLW (Japan). "Ratio of Employees Taking Parental Leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by Gender." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Jul 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/
MHLW (Japan), Ratio of employees taking parental leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by gender Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/ (last visited May 08, 2026)
Ratio of employees taking parental leave in Japan from 1996 to 2024, by gender [Graph], MHLW (Japan), July 29, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1232867/japan-parental-leave-acquisition-rate-by-gender/
