Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Japan
Japan: Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) was 1.2% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Risk premium on lending in Japan, 1993–2017
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %.
Analysis
In 2017, risk premium on lending in Japan stood at 1.2%.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, risk premium on lending in Japan peaked at 2.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2015.
That places Japan 73rd out of 86 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %) in Japan, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus treasury bill rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2.7% | — |
| 1994 | 2.5% | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -11.2% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -15.7% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +14.1% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +10.2% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -5.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.9%, 42% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.4%, 35% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More financial sector data for Japan
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 10.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0025 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 91.29 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 5.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0019 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 66.66 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 10.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0025 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 91.29 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 5.15 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is risk premium on lending in Japan?
- Risk premium on lending in Japan was 1.2% in 2017, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest risk premium on lending recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest risk premium on lending recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2015.
- How does Japan rank for risk premium on lending?
- Japan ranks 73rd out of 86 countries with data for 2017.
- Is risk premium on lending rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Risk premium on lending (lending rate minus treasury bill rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Risk premium on lending is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the "risk free" treasury bill interest rate at which short-term government securities are issued or traded in the market. In some countries this spread may be negative, indicating that the market considers its best corporate clients to be lower risk than the government. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.