The Model Index
World/Asia
AI access, cost and use · Eastern Asia · Asia · data read 1 Oct 2026

Japan

In Japan, a $20-a-month AI plan costs 1.9% of the median living standard, 2.4 times the share it takes in the United States; for 3% of people it is over a tenth of what they live on. Claude, OpenAI's API and Gemini are all officially offered. 86% of people use the internet, and Claude use per working-age person is 1.91 times the world average.

1.9%of the median living standard for a $20 planAsia median 13% · United States 0.79%
3%of people for whom the plan is over a tenth of their living standardabout 4.1 m people
3of 3leading services officially offeredClaude · OpenAI · Gemini
86%of people use the internetworld 74% · 123 m people

The figuresJapan

People123 m
Median living standard$12,604a year per person · income
A $20 plan takes1.9%of that · 2.4× the US share
For whom it is over a tenth3%of people
Survey2020revalued at 2025 prices
GNI per person$38,340plan is 0.63% of it
Claude use per person1.91×world average = 1
Notable AI models built here112 since 2023

Officially offered here3 of 3

Run it yourself →
Claude · claude.ai appYes
OpenAI · APIYes
Gemini · web appYes

From each lab's own published list: Anthropic's Claude.ai countries, OpenAI's API countries and Google's Gemini web app countries. Not listed means not officially served; open-weight models can be run anywhere.

Against Asia and the worldregional figures are medians or population-weighted

MeasureJapanAsiaWorld
A $20 plan ÷ median living standard1.9%13%9.9%
People for whom it is over a tenth3%72%63%
Plan price ÷ GNI per person0.63%3.9%2.9%
People using the internet86%76%74%
Claude use per working-age person1.91×0.43×1.00×
Notable AI models built112831,256

What it is used forJapan against the world

Report ↗
Japan
Work 47%
Personal 47%
The world
Work 42%
Personal 41%
Coursework 17%
Share of the world's Claude use3.3%1.5% of the world's people
Work47%world 42%
Personal47%world 41%
Coursework6%world 17%
Handed over to the model (automation)47%world 48%

Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026: Claude.ai conversations by country. One product from one lab, so read it as a signal of who is using frontier models, not a census.

What people make with itshare of conversations

Explanation or answer19%
Document or report14%
Advice or recommendation10%
Analysis or summary8%

The most common things people in Japan ask Claude to produce.

NeighboursEastern Asia · lightest burden first

CountryPeopleOnline$20 plan ÷ median living standardOver a tenthClaude use per personOfficial lists
South Korea52 m98%1.6%1%3.78×3 of 3
Japan123 m86%1.9%3%1.91×3 of 3
China1.41 bn92%8.8%42%not reported0 of 3
Mongolia3.6 m85%14%72%1.37×3 of 3
North Korea27 m0%no estimate–not reported0 of 3
Hong Kong7.5 m96%no estimate–not reported1 of 3
Macao686k90%no estimate–not reported1 of 3
All countries →

The foundationsJapan against the world

World Bank ↗
People using the internet
86%world 74%
People with electricity
100%world 92%
Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
178world 112
Fixed broadband lines per 100 people
38.6world 20.1
Enrolled in university-level education
64%world 44%
Research spending, share of GDP
3.44%world 2.6%
Researchers per million people
5,609world 1,652
Secure internet servers per million people
32,929world 16,381

The latest World Bank figure for each measure. The tick marks the world figure.

A $20-a-month plan ($240 a year, US list price) against the median household living standard per person in each country. The median is from the latest national household survey (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform), revalued from 2021 purchasing-power dollars into US dollars at recent prices and official exchange rates, assuming real living standards have not changed since the survey. Some surveys measure income and others consumption, which includes food people grow and housing they own, so this is a living standard, not cash to spare. Countries with no survey since 2015 or no defensible exchange rate are left blank.

World Bank household surveys ↗Anthropic countries ↗OpenAI countries ↗Gemini countries ↗Anthropic Economic Index ↗Epoch AI notable models ↗