Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Japan
Japan: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 3.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Japan stood at 3.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Japan peaked at 5.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2018.
That places Japan 133rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 3.6% | — |
| 1972 | 3.9% | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 4.0% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 4.0% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 4.6% | +15.6% |
| 1976 | 4.7% | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 4.7% | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 4.8% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 5.0% | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 5.0% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 5.0% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 5.5% | +16.2% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 5.3% | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -36.2% |
| 1994 | 3.6% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 3.4% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 3.5% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 3.5% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.4% | 3.6% | 5.0% | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2 |
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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Japan?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Japan was 3.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2018.
- How does Japan rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Japan ranks 133rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. 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 Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release