Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan
Japan: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 7.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan, 2005–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in IMF calculation.
Analysis
In 2022, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan stood at 7.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan peaked at 9.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2020.
Japan ranks 113th of 123 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan, year by year
| Year | IMF calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.3% | — |
| 2006 | 9.4% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 9.1% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | -10.5% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 7.5% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.2% | 8.9% | 9.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 8.4% | 8.1% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 7.3% | 7.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More education data for Japan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 627,777 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.50 million (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (1999)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.25 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0502 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan was 7.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 9.4% in 2007.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Japan ranks 113th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (IMF calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release