Enrolment in primary education, female in Japan
Japan: Enrolment in primary education, female was 3.04 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.04 million
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
23rd
of 216 countries
All-time high
5.81 million
in 1982
All-time low
3.04 million
in 2023
Years of data
40
1971–2023
Enrolment in primary education, female in Japan, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2023, enrolment in primary education, female in Japan stood at 3.04 million. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, female in Japan peaked at 5.81 million in 1982 and was at its lowest, 3.04 million, in 2023.
Japan ranks 23rd of 216 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, female in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.71 million | — |
| 1972 | 4.75 million | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 4.80 million | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 4.79 million | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 4.93 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 5.06 million | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 5.17 million | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 5.27 million | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 5.43 million | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 5.67 million | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 5.76 million | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 5.81 million | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 5.80 million | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 5.73 million | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 5.59 million | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 5.41 million | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 5.20 million | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 4.99 million | -4.1% |
| 1989 | 4.82 million | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 4.69 million | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 4.58 million | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 4.47 million | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 4.37 million | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 4.29 million | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 4.20 million | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 4.09 million | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 3.96 million | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 3.85 million | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 3.75 million | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 3.32 million | -11.6% |
| 2014 | 3.27 million | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 3.24 million | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 3.21 million | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 3.18 million | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 3.17 million | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 3.16 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.14 million | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 3.11 million | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 3.07 million | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.04 million | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.99 million | 4.71 million | 5.43 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.48 million | 4.82 million | 5.81 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.22 million | 3.75 million | 4.69 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.22 million | 3.16 million | 3.32 million | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.09 million | 3.04 million | 3.14 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 20 Russian Federation 3.68 million compare
- 21 South Africa 3.65 million compare
- 22 Afghanistan 3.20 million compare
- 24 Angola 2.69 million compare
- 25 Türkiye 2.69 million compare
- 26 Madagascar 2.67 million compare
More education data for Japan
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 440,864 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 58.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 11.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 101.13 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 101.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, female in Japan?
- Enrolment in primary education, female in Japan was 3.04 million in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.81 million in 1982.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.04 million in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for enrolment in primary education, female?
- Japan ranks 23rd out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
- Is enrolment in primary education, female rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release