Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan
Japan: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan stood at 99.9%.
The figure is up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan peaked at 100.0% in 1895 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 1820.
That places Japan 6th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 7.2% | — |
| 1825 | 8.8% | +22.4% |
| 1830 | 10.8% | +21.9% |
| 1835 | 13.1% | +21.4% |
| 1840 | 15.8% | +20.8% |
| 1845 | 19.0% | +20.0% |
| 1850 | 22.6% | +19.1% |
| 1855 | 26.7% | +18.1% |
| 1860 | 31.2% | +17.0% |
| 1865 | 36.2% | +15.8% |
| 1870 | 41.4% | +14.5% |
| 1875 | 59.4% | +43.3% |
| 1880 | 70.8% | +19.3% |
| 1885 | 93.2% | +31.7% |
| 1890 | 86.8% | -6.9% |
| 1895 | 100.0% | +15.2% |
| 1900 | 86.2% | -13.8% |
| 1905 | 90.5% | +5.0% |
| 1910 | 96.6% | +6.7% |
| 1915 | 96.6% | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 97.5% | +0.9% |
| 1925 | 97.0% | -0.5% |
| 1930 | 100.0% | +3.1% |
| 1935 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 99.0% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 98.9% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 99.9% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 99.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Japan's 99.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | +43.3% | 41.4% | 59.4% |
| 1885 | +31.7% | 70.8% | 93.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 8.0% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 1830s | 11.9% | 10.8% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 17.4% | 15.8% | 19.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 24.6% | 22.6% | 26.7% | 2 |
| 1860s | 33.7% | 31.2% | 36.2% | 2 |
| 1870s | 50.4% | 41.4% | 59.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 82.0% | 70.8% | 93.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 93.4% | 86.8% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 88.4% | 86.2% | 90.5% | 2 |
| 1910s | 96.6% | 96.6% | 96.6% | 2 |
| 1920s | 97.2% | 97.0% | 97.5% | 2 |
| 1930s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 99.0% | 99.0% | 99.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.7% | 98.9% | 99.9% | 7 |
| 2020s | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 3 Azerbaijan 100.0% compare
- 4 Uruguay 100.0% compare
- 5 South Korea 99.9% compare
- 7 United Kingdom 99.9% compare
- 8 Poland 99.9% compare
- 9 Iran 99.9% 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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Japan was 99.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1895.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 1820.
- How does Japan rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Japan ranks 6th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. 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 (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.