How Much Do Obstetricians and Gynecologists Earn in Japan? 2025 Physician Income Data
Obstetricians and gynecologists in Japan reported a median annual income of ¥17 million (approximately £82,000) in the latest specialty-level physician income survey from the Physician Career Research Institute.
The 2025 survey, based on responses from 2,055 physicians overall, provides a useful benchmark for OB/GYN physicians assessing their professional earnings in Japan.
Among the Obstetrics & Gynecology respondents:
Median annual income: ¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
Proportion earning ¥20 million or more: 42.19%
¥20 million threshold: approximately £96,000
Obstetrics & Gynecology respondents: 64
Importantly, these figures include income from a physician’s main workplace as well as additional or side work.
For an obstetrician or gynecologist looking at their own compensation, that distinction is essential.
What is the median income for an OB/GYN physician in Japan?
The reported median annual income for Obstetrics & Gynecology physicians was:
¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
This represents total annual professional income including side work, rather than simply the salary paid by a physician’s main hospital or clinic.
That matters because physicians in Japan may receive income from more than one clinical role.
An obstetrician or gynecologist may have a principal hospital appointment while also undertaking additional clinical sessions, shifts or other paid medical work.
The ¥17 million figure is therefore most useful as a benchmark for overall annual professional earnings.
It should not be interpreted as an expected basic salary.
42.19% of OB/GYN physicians reported earning ¥20 million or more
The proportion of physicians earning above ¥20 million provides another useful benchmark for the specialty.
42.19% of Obstetrics & Gynecology respondents reported annual income of ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
That means more than four in ten physicians in the specialty sample reported total annual professional earnings at or above this level.
For an OB/GYN physician assessing their own compensation, the two core figures are:
Median annual income: ¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
Earning ¥20 million+ (approximately £96,000+): 42.19%
Taken together, these figures provide a more useful picture than the median alone.
The ¥17 million median indicates the centre of the reported income distribution, while the ¥20 million-plus figure shows that a substantial proportion of physicians reported earnings above that level.
Why does side work matter for Obstetrics & Gynecology income?
Additional clinical work is an important part of physician income in Japan.
Doctors may undertake paid work outside their principal position, including additional hospital or clinic sessions and other secondary medical activity.
The Physician Career Research Institute therefore reports annual income including side work.
For OB/GYN physicians, this means income from a main employer may not represent their total annual professional earnings.
A physician whose principal salary is below ¥17 million could still reach or exceed the survey benchmark once supplementary clinical income is included.
Similarly, the survey should not be interpreted as evidence that a hospital or clinic would normally offer an Obstetrics & Gynecology physician a base salary of ¥17 million.
The figure represents a wider measure of professional income.
What does the ¥17 million median actually mean?
The survey collected income using ranges rather than asking physicians to report an exact annual amount.
The reported median of ¥17 million (approximately £82,000) therefore represents the midpoint of the relevant income band.
It should be treated as an approximate compensation benchmark rather than an exact median calculated from individual salary records.
For an OB/GYN physician reviewing their own income, the figure is most useful as an indication of the income range around the middle of the surveyed group.
That distinction is important when using the data for benchmarking.
How strong is the Obstetrics & Gynecology sample?
The wider survey included 2,055 physicians, with 64 respondents in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
That gives the specialty its own identifiable sample within the research.
However, it remains a survey rather than a national census of every obstetrician and gynecologist practising in Japan.
Actual earnings may vary considerably according to factors such as:
career stage;
seniority;
employer;
hospital or clinic setting;
working hours;
geographic location;
on-call and additional clinical responsibilities; and
the amount of side work undertaken.
The data are therefore best used as a current specialty benchmark rather than as a guaranteed level of compensation.
Is ¥17 million an OB/GYN salary?
No.
The clearest interpretation is:
¥17 million is the reported median total annual professional income for the Obstetrics & Gynecology physicians surveyed, including side work.
It is not a published base salary.
For an obstetrician or gynecologist evaluating their current position or considering a new role, it can be useful to distinguish between:
guaranteed salary from the principal employer;
additional clinical sessions;
other paid professional activity; and
total annual professional income.
The survey benchmark relates most closely to the final figure.
What should Obstetrics & Gynecology physicians take from the latest data?
For Obstetrics & Gynecology physicians in Japan, the 2025 survey provides two particularly useful compensation benchmarks.
Median annual professional income, including side work, was:
¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
And:
42.19% reported earning ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
For an individual obstetrician or gynecologist, these figures provide a useful reference point when considering their own professional earnings.
The key is to compare like with like.
A hospital base salary should not be compared directly with a survey figure that includes additional clinical work.
For an OB/GYN physician, the more useful question is therefore not simply:
“What is the salary for an obstetrician or gynecologist in Japan?”
It is:
“What is my total annual professional income in Obstetrics & Gynecology, including additional clinical work, and how does it compare with the ¥17 million benchmark?”
That is the most meaningful way to use the available specialty compensation data.
Source: Physician Career Research Institute / Mediwel, 2025 Physician Income Survey.
Currency note: Sterling equivalents are approximate conversions using the JPY/GBP exchange
rate on 11 September 2026. At that rate, ¥17 million is approximately £82,000 and ¥20 million approximately £96,000. GBP figures are included for reader context only and were not reported by the original Japanese survey.
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