2,571,037foreign workers, 2025-10-31
+11.7%on a year earlier
371,215establishments employing them
25.4%share in Tokyo
Every employer in Japan must notify Hello Work when it hires or loses a foreign worker, and MHLW publishes the count as of the end of each October. At the end of October 2025 there were 2,571,037 foreign workers, a record.
By status of residence
| Status of residence | Workers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Professional and technical fields (incl. Specified Skilled Worker) | 865,588 | 33.7% |
| Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services | 468,068 | 18.2% |
| Specified Skilled Worker | 286,225 | 11.1% |
| Designated Activities (incl. working holiday, EPA nurse/care candidates) | 111,074 | 4.3% |
| Technical Intern Training | 499,394 | 19.4% |
| Permitted activity outside status (mainly students working part-time) | 449,324 | 17.5% |
| of which Student | 352,791 | 13.7% |
| Status based on personal relationship (permanent residents, spouses, long-term residents) | 645,590 | 25.1% |
| Permanent Resident | 397,095 | 15.4% |
| Spouse or Child of Japanese National | 100,498 | 3.9% |
| Spouse or Child of Permanent Resident | 19,467 | 0.8% |
| Long-Term Resident | 128,530 | 5.0% |
By nationality
| Nationality | Workers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | 605,906 | 23.6% |
| China (incl. Hong Kong and Macau) | 431,949 | 16.8% |
| Philippines | 260,869 | 10.1% |
| Nepal | 235,874 | 9.2% |
| Indonesia | 228,118 | 8.9% |
| Myanmar | 163,311 | 6.4% |
| Brazil | 134,645 | 5.2% |
| South Korea | 80,193 | 3.1% |
| Sri Lanka | 50,427 | 2.0% |
| Thailand | 41,468 | 1.6% |
| India | 31,636 | 1.2% |
| Peru | 31,448 | 1.2% |
| G7 etc. (France, US, UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia) | 86,520 | 3.4% |
| of which United States | 35,007 | 1.4% |
| of which United Kingdom | 13,399 | 0.5% |
| Other nationalities | 188,673 | 7.3% |
By industry
| Industry | Workers | Share | Establishments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 635,075 | 24.7% | 58,400 |
| Services, n.e.c. | 391,946 | 15.2% | 28,549 |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 340,687 | 13.3% | 70,358 |
| Accommodations, eating and drinking services | 319,999 | 12.4% | 53,855 |
| Construction | 206,468 | 8.0% | 50,133 |
| Medical, health care and welfare | 146,105 | 5.7% | 26,076 |
| Information and communications | 97,924 | 3.8% | 14,366 |
| Scientific research, professional and technical services | 90,703 | 3.5% | 14,592 |
| Transport and postal activities | 85,477 | 3.3% | 10,464 |
| Education, learning support | 83,225 | 3.2% | 8,026 |
| Agriculture and forestry | 65,153 | 2.5% | 14,604 |
| Living-related and personal services and amusement services | 33,928 | 1.3% | 7,157 |
| Real estate and goods rental and leasing | 26,984 | 1.0% | 5,792 |
| Finance and insurance | 14,151 | 0.6% | 1,677 |
| Government, except elsewhere classified | 11,461 | 0.4% | 1,963 |
| Compound services | 7,431 | 0.3% | 1,726 |
| Fisheries | 7,081 | 0.3% | 1,884 |
| Industries unable to classify | 5,808 | 0.2% | 1,263 |
| Electricity, gas, heat supply and water | 905 | 0.0% | 217 |
| Mining and quarrying of stone and gravel | 526 | 0.0% | 113 |
By prefecture
| Prefecture | Workers | Share | Establishments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 652,251 | 25.4% | 87,512 |
| Aichi | 249,076 | 9.7% | 28,976 |
| Osaka | 208,051 | 8.1% | 31,715 |
| Kanagawa | 148,888 | 5.8% | 24,200 |
| Saitama | 133,049 | 5.2% | 19,780 |
| Chiba | 105,829 | 4.1% | 16,735 |
| Shizuoka | 88,968 | 3.5% | 10,967 |
| Fukuoka | 85,385 | 3.3% | 13,682 |
| Hyogo | 77,016 | 3.0% | 12,204 |
| Ibaraki | 67,500 | 2.6% | 10,156 |
| Gunma | 61,040 | 2.4% | 6,744 |
| Hiroshima | 51,821 | 2.0% | 7,121 |
| Hokkaido | 51,358 | 2.0% | 8,854 |
| Gifu | 47,534 | 1.8% | 6,094 |
| Kyoto | 40,993 | 1.6% | 6,590 |
| Mie | 40,236 | 1.6% | 5,300 |
| Tochigi | 38,817 | 1.5% | 5,576 |
| Nagano | 30,672 | 1.2% | 5,348 |
| Okayama | 29,612 | 1.2% | 3,942 |
| Shiga | 25,667 | 1.0% | 2,773 |
| Kumamoto | 24,076 | 0.9% | 4,404 |
| Okinawa | 20,354 | 0.8% | 3,697 |
| Miyagi | 20,234 | 0.8% | 3,405 |
| Ishikawa | 16,922 | 0.7% | 2,500 |
| Niigata | 16,626 | 0.6% | 2,902 |
| Kagoshima | 16,562 | 0.6% | 2,679 |
| Kagawa | 16,557 | 0.6% | 2,358 |
| Toyama | 16,460 | 0.6% | 2,651 |
| Ehime | 15,925 | 0.6% | 2,559 |
| Fukui | 15,169 | 0.6% | 1,974 |
| Fukushima | 15,079 | 0.6% | 2,573 |
| Oita | 14,378 | 0.6% | 2,508 |
| Yamaguchi | 14,042 | 0.5% | 2,353 |
| Yamanashi | 13,732 | 0.5% | 2,263 |
| Nagasaki | 12,807 | 0.5% | 2,338 |
| Nara | 11,418 | 0.4% | 2,029 |
| Saga | 9,932 | 0.4% | 1,639 |
| Miyazaki | 9,718 | 0.4% | 1,673 |
| Iwate | 8,415 | 0.3% | 1,311 |
| Tokushima | 7,324 | 0.3% | 1,400 |
| Yamagata | 7,283 | 0.3% | 1,361 |
| Aomori | 6,882 | 0.3% | 1,133 |
| Wakayama | 6,808 | 0.3% | 1,264 |
| Shimane | 6,184 | 0.2% | 1,008 |
| Kochi | 5,916 | 0.2% | 1,332 |
| Tottori | 4,478 | 0.2% | 795 |
| Akita | 3,993 | 0.2% | 837 |
The trend
| Year (end October) | Workers | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,278,670 | 194,595 |
| 2018 | 1,460,463 | 216,348 |
| 2019 | 1,658,804 | 242,608 |
| 2020 | 1,724,328 | 267,243 |
| 2021 | 1,727,221 | 285,080 |
| 2022 | 1,822,725 | 298,790 |
| 2023 | 2,048,675 | 318,775 |
| 2024 | 2,302,587 | 342,087 |
| 2025 | 2,571,037 | 371,215 |
Questions
How many foreign workers are there in Japan?
2,571,037 at the end of October 2025, a record, up 11.7% on a year earlier, at 371,215 establishments (MHLW, employers' notifications to Hello Work). Vietnam is the largest nationality at 23.6%.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Employment of Foreign Workers (employer notifications as of 31 October 2025); compiled and translated by The Hardest Market. Reference period: 2025-10-31. Published 2026-01-30. Next release: 2027-01.
Original tables: MHLW
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