Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Japan

Japan: Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of was 4.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
4.3%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
58th
of 70 countries
All-time high
5.5%
in 2011
All-time low
4.1%
in 2018
Years of data
12
2010–2021

Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Japan, 2010–2021

02462010201520212010: 5.42011: 5.52012: 4.52013: 4.42014: 4.42015: 4.22016: 4.62017: 4.12018: 4.12019: 4.22020: 4.52021: 4.3

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

Japan recorded 4.3% for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in 2021.

The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 21.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Japan peaked at 5.5% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2018.

Japan ranks 58th of 70 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 2010 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2010 5.4%
2011 5.5% +1.7%
2012 4.5% -17.8%
2013 4.4% -1.9%
2014 4.4% -0.6%
2015 4.2% -4.2%
2016 4.6% +9.4%
2017 4.1% -11.2%
2018 4.1% -0.2%
2019 4.2% +2.1%
2020 4.5% +6.8%
2021 4.3% -3.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.5% 4.1% 5.5% 10
2020s 4.4% 4.3% 4.5% 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 55 Türkiye 4.7% compare
  2. 56 Barbados 4.6% compare
  3. 57 Lithuania 4.5% compare
  4. 59 Azerbaijan 4.2% compare
  5. 60 Ethiopia 4.1% compare
  6. 61 Serbia 3.8% compare

See the full ranking of 70 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Japan?
Expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of in Japan was 4.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 2011.
What is the lowest expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2018.
How does Japan rank for expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of?
Japan ranks 58th out of 70 countries with data for 2021.
Is expenditure on education (public, households, oda) as a percentage of rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.8%. 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 (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/expenditure-on-education-public-households-oda-as-a-percentage-of-gdp/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Expenditure on education (public, households, ODA) as a percentage of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
70 places, 706 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release