Result: ¥100 in 1979 → ¥160.22 in 2024
The Japanese Yen has lost 38% its value since 1979
Updated: June 12, 2024¥100 in 1979 is equivalent in purchasing power to about ¥160.22 today, an increase of ¥60.22 over 45 years. The yen had an average inflation rate of 1.05% per year between 1979 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 60.22%.
This means that today's prices are 1.60 times as high as average prices since 1979, according to the OECD and the World Bank consumer price index for Japan. A yen today only buys 62.414% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1979 was 3.73%. The current inflation rate compared to the end of last year is now 2.88%. If this number holds, ¥100 today will be equivalent in buying power to ¥102.88 next year.
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| Cumulative price change | 60.22% |
| Average inflation rate | 1.05% |
| Converted amount ¥100 base | ¥160.22 |
| Price difference ¥100 base | ¥60.22 |
| CPI in 1979 | 69.102 |
| CPI in 2024 | 110.714 |
| Inflation in 1979 | 3.73% |
| Inflation in 2024 | 2.88% |
| ¥100 in 1979 | ¥160.22 in 2024 |
Buying power of ¥100 in 1979
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for ¥100 in 1979 (price index tracking began in 1955).
For example, if you started with ¥100, you would need to end with ¥160.22 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When ¥100 is equivalent to ¥160.22 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Japanese yen decreases over time. In other words, a yen will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a yen over time. By calculating the value in 1979 dollars, the chart below shows how ¥100 is worth less over 45 years.
According to the OECD and the World Bank, each of these JPY amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1979 amounts in today's yen, based on the 60.22% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| ¥1 yen in 1979 | ¥1.60 yen today |
| ¥5 yen in 1979 | ¥8.01 yen today |
| ¥10 yen in 1979 | ¥16.02 yen today |
| ¥50 yen in 1979 | ¥80.11 yen today |
| ¥100 yen in 1979 | ¥160.22 yen today |
| ¥500 yen in 1979 | ¥801.09 yen today |
| ¥1,000 yen in 1979 | ¥1,602.19 yen today |
| ¥5,000 yen in 1979 | ¥8,010.93 yen today |
| ¥10,000 yen in 1979 | ¥16,021.87 yen today |
| ¥50,000 yen in 1979 | ¥80,109.34 yen today |
| ¥100,000 yen in 1979 | ¥160,218.68 yen today |
| ¥500,000 yen in 1979 | ¥801,093.38 yen today |
| ¥1,000,000 yen in 1979 | ¥1,602,186.77 yen today |
How to calculate inflation rate for ¥100 since 1979
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1979 and today:
CPI today CPI in 1979
×
1979 JPY value
=
Today's value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Japanese CPI was 69.10155 in the year 1979 and 110.71358916166263 in 2024:
110.7135891616626369.10155
×
¥100
=
¥160.22
¥100 in 1979 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as ¥160.22 in 2024.
To get the total inflation rate for the 45 years between 1979 and 2024, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2024 - CPI in 1979CPI in 1979
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (45 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
110.71358916166263 - 69.1015569.10155
×
100
=
60%
Data source & citation
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Value of 1979 Japanese Yen today | Japan Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 15 Jun. 2024, https://www.officialdata.org/japan/inflation/1979.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
| Cumulative price change | 60.22% |
| Average inflation rate | 1.05% |
| Converted amount ¥100 base | ¥160.22 |
| Price difference ¥100 base | ¥60.22 |
| CPI in 1979 | 69.102 |
| CPI in 2024 | 110.714 |
| Inflation in 1979 | 3.73% |
| Inflation in 2024 | 2.88% |
| ¥100 in 1979 | ¥160.22 in 2024 |