Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan
Japan: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.0% in 1998. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan, 1981–1998
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Japan recorded 10.0% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 1998. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 44.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan peaked at 18.1% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 1998.
Japan ranks 151st of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Japan, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 16.1% | — |
| 1982 | 15.7% | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 14.9% | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | +21.3% |
| 1988 | 17.8% | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 17.6% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 11.1% | -37.0% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 10.4% | -6.6% |
| 1998 | 10.0% | -3.9% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 10.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 85% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Japan's 10.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.3%, 81% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.7% | 14.9% | 18.1% | 6 |
| 1990s | 10.6% | 10.0% | 11.1% | 4 |
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 10.0% in 1998, 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 18.1% in 1987.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 1998.
- How does Japan rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Japan ranks 151st out of 197 countries with data for 1998.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.0%. 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 (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release