Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan
Japan: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
1.1%
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
98th
of 162 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 1979
All-time low
1.1%
in 2018
Years of data
42
1971–2021
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 1.1% for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in 2021.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan peaked at 1.9% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2018.
Japan ranks 98th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.4% | — |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +8.9% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | +16.3% |
| 1976 | 1.9% | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -6.2% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | -11.2% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -9.7% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -2.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 1.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.3%, 86% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 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 primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan was 1.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1979.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2018.
- How does Japan rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Japan ranks 98th out of 162 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. 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 Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release