Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) in Japan
Japan: Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) was 19.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Fuel imports in Japan, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2025, fuel imports in Japan stood at 19.6%.
That represents a change of down 13.8% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fuel imports in Japan peaked at 51.5% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 1998.
That places Japan 51st out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 18.5% | — |
| 1963 | 18.0% | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 17.7% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 19.9% | +12.1% |
| 1966 | 18.9% | -4.7% |
| 1967 | 19.2% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 20.6% | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 20.3% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 20.7% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 24.1% | +16.6% |
| 1972 | 24.4% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 21.8% | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 40.1% | +84.3% |
| 1975 | 44.3% | +10.5% |
| 1976 | 43.9% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 44.1% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 39.8% | -9.8% |
| 1979 | 41.1% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 50.0% | +21.6% |
| 1981 | 51.5% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 50.4% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 47.1% | -6.4% |
| 1984 | 44.9% | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 43.8% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 30.9% | -29.4% |
| 1987 | 26.8% | -13.3% |
| 1988 | 20.7% | -22.6% |
| 1989 | 20.8% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 24.2% | +16.3% |
| 1991 | 23.3% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 22.8% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 20.5% | -9.9% |
| 1994 | 17.5% | -14.5% |
| 1995 | 16.0% | -8.5% |
| 1996 | 17.4% | +8.7% |
| 1997 | 18.5% | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 15.4% | -16.8% |
| 1999 | 16.1% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 20.4% | +26.7% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 19.4% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 25.8% | +18.1% |
| 2006 | 27.9% | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 27.8% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 35.1% | +26.5% |
| 2009 | 27.6% | -21.3% |
| 2010 | 28.7% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 32.1% | +11.9% |
| 2012 | 34.1% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 32.3% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 20.5% | -36.5% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | -10.9% |
| 2017 | 21.0% | +15.1% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | +11.0% |
| 2019 | 21.6% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 16.6% | -23.1% |
| 2021 | 20.0% | +20.7% |
| 2022 | 28.3% | +41.4% |
| 2023 | 24.9% | -12.3% |
| 2024 | 22.7% | -8.7% |
| 2025 | 19.6% | -13.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 19.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.0%, 2.2× the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Japan's 19.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.0%, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +84.3% | 21.8% | 40.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19.1% | 17.7% | 20.6% | 8 |
| 1970s | 34.4% | 20.7% | 44.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.7% | 20.7% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.2% | 15.4% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.7% | 19.4% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.6% | 18.3% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.0% | 16.6% | 28.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More energy & mining data for Japan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.7535 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 7.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fuel imports in Japan?
- Fuel imports in Japan was 19.6% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest fuel imports recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 51.5% in 1981.
- What is the lowest fuel imports recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 1998.
- How does Japan rank for fuel imports?
- Japan ranks 51st out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fuel imports rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Fuels comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) section 3 (mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.