Share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan
Japan: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 70.4% in 1998. ▲ Rising
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan, 1971–1998
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan is 70.4%, measured in 1998. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.2% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan peaked at 70.4% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 52.1%, in 1972.
That places Japan 137th out of 212 countries with data for 1998, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 52.6% | — |
| 1972 | 52.1% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 52.6% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 53.3% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 54.1% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 56.8% | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 57.4% | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 57.9% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 58.5% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 56.6% | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 56.7% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 56.6% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 56.3% | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 56.1% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 56.0% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 56.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 56.3% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 56.6% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 56.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 57.6% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 58.4% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 59.3% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 59.8% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 60.2% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 59.6% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 61.2% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 61.6% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 70.4% | +14.2% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 70.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 84.3%, 83% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 70.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 76.1%, 92% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 55.0% | 52.1% | 58.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 56.4% | 56.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.9% | 57.6% | 70.4% | 9 |
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 share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Japan was 70.4% in 1998, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 70.4% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.1% in 1972.
- How does Japan rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Japan ranks 137th out of 212 countries with data for 1998.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.