Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan
Japan: Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.1% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 0.1% for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 46.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan peaked at 0.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.
Japan ranks 104th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | +12.5% |
| 1973 | 0.1% | +19.3% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +7.0% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | +22.4% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -4.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 0.2% | +218.7% |
| 1988 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -58.9% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | +9.8% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | +12.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +24.6% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | +14.0% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | +2.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 35% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Japan's 0.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2%, 76% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +218.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1993 | -58.9% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 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 pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan?
- Government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan was 0.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
- How does Japan rank for government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Japan ranks 104th out of 169 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.4%. 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, published as part of Government expenditure on pre-primary 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