School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan
Japan: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 468,140 in 2025. ▼ Falling
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan, 2001–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan is 468,140, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan peaked at 615,685 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 468,140, in 2025.
Japan ranks 29th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 613,000 | — |
| 2002 | 615,685 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 608,000 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 610,000 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 613,000 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 598,000 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 607,278 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 599,000 | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 589,775 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 571,703 | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 556,772 | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 542,992 | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 543,699 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 547,340 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 548,894 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 534,315 | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 537,301 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 535,444 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 520,432 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 516,921 | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 499,351 | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 514,130 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 501,716 | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 479,967 | -4.3% |
| 2025 | 468,140 | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 605,971 | 589,775 | 615,685 | 9 |
| 2010s | 543,889 | 520,432 | 571,703 | 10 |
| 2020s | 496,704 | 468,140 | 516,921 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 26 South Africa 559,892 compare
- 27 Mozambique 544,472 compare
- 28 Algeria 503,831 compare
- 30 Myanmar 454,373 compare
- 31 Madagascar 447,797 compare
- 32 Niger 436,022 compare
More education data for Japan
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3.04 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate -0.9818 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0244 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 3.20 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate -1.04 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0257 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.61 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.7827 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 440,864 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.5011 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Japan was 468,140 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 615,685 in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 468,140 in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Japan ranks 29th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, male (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