Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan

Japan: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 5.2% in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
5.2%
Change on year
up 13.1%
World rank
119th
of 179 countries
All-time high
5.8%
in 2018
All-time low
0.1%
in 2021
Years of data
11
2013–2023

Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan, 2013–2023

02462013201820232013: 2.4 %2014: 3.6 %2015: 5.1 %2016: 3.7 %2017: 4.6 %2018: 5.8 %2019: 3 %2020: 4.2 %2021: 0.053 %2022: 4.6 %2023: 5.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan is 5.2%, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 13.1% on the previous year and up 112.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan peaked at 5.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2021.

Japan ranks 119th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.0% 2.4% 5.8% 7
2020s 3.5% 0.1% 5.2% 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 116 Nauru 5.8% compare
  2. 117 South Korea 5.5% compare
  3. 118 Bulgaria 5.4% compare
  4. 120 Andorra 5.1% compare
  5. 121 Australia 5.1% compare
  6. 122 Tuvalu 5.1% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan?
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Japan was 5.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 2018.
What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2021.
How does Japan rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
Japan ranks 119th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 112.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,923 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.