Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan
Japan: Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, 1971–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan stood at 1.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan peaked at 2.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2008.
That places Japan 88th out of 165 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 secondary education as a percentage of GDP in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.4% | — |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +8.7% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +17.6% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 1.8% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +17.3% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -4.6% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -21.4% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 85 China 1.4% compare
- 86 Latvia 1.4% compare
- 87 Cape Verde 1.4% compare
- 89 Rwanda 1.3% compare
- 90 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 1.3% compare
- 91 Saint Lucia 1.3% compare
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 secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan?
- Government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp in Japan was 1.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2008.
- How does Japan rank for government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Japan ranks 88th out of 165 countries with data for 2021.
- Is government expenditure on secondary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. 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 secondary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release