Expenditures on Nursing Care in Japan Continue to Rise

Rising Costs

Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare statistics for fiscal 2024 show that the cost of nursing care for certified recipients in Japan, including insurance benefits and out-of-pocket expenses, rose by ¥403.2 billion year on year to ¥11.6 trillion. Preventive care for less serious conditions increased by ¥20.9 billion to ¥320.2 billion, lifting overall spending by ¥424.2 billion year on year to a record ¥11.9 trillion.

The average cost per care recipient (as of April 2025) was ¥206,300 for nursing care and ¥28,200 for preventative care.

The ministry has conducted the survey since fiscal 2001 following the introduction of a nursing care insurance system. Total spending in fiscal 2024 was 2.7 times more than the ¥4.4 trillion initially reached in fiscal 2001. By prefecture, Tottori had the highest average expenditure at ¥229,900, followed by ¥220,500 in Niigata and ¥219,700 in Fukui.

Nursing Care Recipients Also Increasing

In fiscal 2024, the total number of recipients of nursing care increased year on year by 64,600 to 5,731,100, a rise of 1.1%, while the total number of recipients of preventive care increased by 59,300 (4.8%) to 1,303,900.

The number of certified recipients of nursing care or other support in April 2025 was 7.5 million, an increase of 150,000 over the same month the previous year. The number receiving services totaled 5.7 million for the same month, a year-on-year increase of 110,000. The majority were women at 3.9 million as compared to 1.8 million men.

The service categories with the largest number of users were in-home care support (4.0 million), welfare equipment rental (3.0 million), outpatient day care (1.7 million), and home visits (1.6 million).

Data Sources

• Data on nursing care payments in fiscal 2024 (Japanese) from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)