Which has higher average years of schooling, Japan or Taiwan?

Japan, at 12.83 years against 12.76 years in Taiwan as of 2020.

How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Taiwan?

31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Japan vs Taiwan: Average years of schooling

Japan

12.83 years

in 2020

Taiwan

12.76 years

in 2020

Japan rank

11th

Taiwan rank

13th

Average years of schooling over time

Japan
Taiwan

How they compare

Japan currently reports 12.83 years against 12.76 years in Taiwan, a difference of 0.07 years.

Across all 31 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Japan ranks 11th and Taiwan ranks 13th of 111 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 16 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Taiwan	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.58 years	0 years	0.58 years	Japan
1880s	0.84 years	0 years	0.84 years	Japan
1890s	1.41 years	0.01 years	1.4 years	Japan
1900s	1.99 years	0.025 years	1.97 years	Japan
1910s	2.71 years	0.085 years	2.62 years	Japan
1920s	4.19 years	0.705 years	3.48 years	Japan
1930s	5.15 years	1.55 years	3.6 years	Japan
1940s	5.93 years	2.31 years	3.62 years	Japan
1950s	7.13 years	3.32 years	3.82 years	Japan
1960s	7.79 years	3.97 years	3.82 years	Japan
1970s	8.55 years	5.58 years	2.97 years	Japan
1980s	9.86 years	7.49 years	2.37 years	Japan
1990s	10.98 years	9.12 years	1.87 years	Japan
2000s	11.95 years	10.87 years	1.08 years	Japan
2010s	12.52 years	12.16 years	0.355 years	Japan
2020s	12.83 years	12.76 years	0.07 years	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Japan or Taiwan?: Japan, at 12.83 years against 12.76 years in Taiwan as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Japan and Taiwan?: 0.07 years, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Taiwan?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Japan and Taiwan rank globally for average years of schooling?: Japan ranks 11th and Taiwan ranks 13th of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs Taiwan: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/japan/taiwan/

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About this data

Indicator: Average years of schooling
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.