Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan

Japan: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes was 79,787 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
79,787
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
12th
of 143 countries
All-time high
80,910
in 2017
All-time low
52,141
in 1998
Years of data
13
1998–2023

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan, 1998–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1998201020231998: 52.1k1999: 55.6k2013: 74.5k2014: 74.1k2015: 73.9k2016: 74.1k2017: 80.9k2018: 80.8k2019: 79.4k2020: 79.5k2021: 79.9k2022: 80.0k2023: 79.8k

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan is 79,787, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan peaked at 80,910 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 52,141, in 1998.

That places Japan 12th out of 143 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number) in Japan, 1998 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1998 52,141
1999 55,646 +6.7%
2013 74,480 +33.8%
2014 74,093 -0.5%
2015 73,895 -0.3%
2016 74,090 +0.3%
2017 80,910 +9.2%
2018 80,767 -0.2%
2019 79,362 -1.7%
2020 79,475 +0.1%
2021 79,869 +0.5%
2022 80,050 +0.2%
2023 79,787 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 53,894 52,141 55,646 2
2010s 76,800 73,895 80,910 7
2020s 79,795 79,475 80,050 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 9 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 122,567 compare
  2. 10 Spain 99,422 compare
  3. 11 Republic of Korea 87,354 compare
  4. 13 France 69,639 compare
  5. 14 Mexico 65,565 compare
  6. 15 Malaysia 64,501 compare

See the full ranking of 359 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan was 79,787 in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 80,910 in 2017.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 52,141 in 1998.
How does Japan rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes?
Japan ranks 12th out of 143 countries with data for 2023.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 8 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/japan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-8-programmes-both-sexes-number-2/japan/">Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes in Japan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 8 programmes, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
359 places, 7,935 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release