Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan
Japan: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 938,663 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
938,663
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
29th
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.21 million
in 2002
All-time low
938,663
in 2025
Years of data
25
2001–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan, 2001–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Japan recorded 938,663 for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan peaked at 1.21 million in 2002 and was at its lowest, 938,663, in 2025.
That places Japan 29th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.18 million | — |
| 2002 | 1.21 million | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 1.20 million | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.19 million | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.19 million | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.19 million | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.18 million | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.18 million | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.16 million | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 1.15 million | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 1.11 million | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 1.10 million | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.06 million | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 1.06 million | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1.07 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1.07 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.06 million | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.05 million | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.05 million | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.02 million | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 1.01 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 1.00 million | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.00 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 978,313 | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 938,663 | -4.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 938,663 is above the median for high income countries, which is 40,266, 23.3× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Japan's 938,663 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39,484, 23.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.19 million | 1.16 million | 1.21 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.08 million | 1.05 million | 1.15 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 991,899 | 938,663 | 1.02 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 26 South Africa 1.07 million compare
- 27 Mozambique 1.06 million compare
- 28 Algeria 996,788 compare
- 30 Myanmar 890,030 compare
- 31 Madagascar 859,394 compare
- 32 Niger 842,459 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 population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Japan was 938,663 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 1.21 million in 2002.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 938,663 in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Japan ranks 29th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. 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 Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release