Japanese economy had a somewhat difficult year, with GDP stalling and yen declining

The Japanese economy had a somewhat difficult year, with GDP stalling and the yen declining by 17%. Measured in US dollars, wealth per adult fell 15%, but this mainly reflected exchange rate depreciation. In domestic currency terms average wealth rose 3%. 

Despite falling behind over the years in the wealth per adult rankings, Japan still ranks third after the United States and China in terms of aggregate wealth. It began the new century with wealth per adult of USD 191,900. Average wealth today is 1% lower in US dollar terms, but 6% higher when measured in yen. This slow growth is due to the combined effects of the poor stock market performance until recently, low interest rates and investment income, house prices that have been on a downward trend since the 1990s and a reduced saving rate. The decline in property values means that financial wealth is now the major component of household wealth, making up 61% of gross assets. Debts have been declining and are modest by international standards, at 14% of total assets. 

Japan has a more equal wealth distribution than any other major country, as reflected in a Gini coefficient of 63%. Together with its high average wealth, this relative equality means that few individuals have assets below USD 10,000. The proportion of the population with wealth above USD 100,000 is six times the global average. At the turn of the century, Japan was a close second to the USA regarding the number of residents in the top 10% and top 1% of global wealth holders. Japan retains second place, but the gap has widened considerably.