School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Japan
Japan: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) was 2.62 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Japan, 2001–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Japan recorded 2.62 million for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Japan peaked at 3.58 million in 2002 and was at its lowest, 2.62 million, in 2025.
Japan ranks 26th 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, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 3.56 million | — |
| 2002 | 3.58 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 3.57 million | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 3.56 million | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 3.54 million | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 3.50 million | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 3.50 million | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 3.44 million | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 3.36 million | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 3.26 million | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 3.21 million | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 3.20 million | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 3.21 million | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.19 million | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.16 million | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.15 million | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 3.11 million | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 3.07 million | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 3.00 million | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.95 million | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 2.94 million | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 2.92 million | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 2.83 million | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 2.72 million | -3.8% |
| 2025 | 2.62 million | -3.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 2.62 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 112,749, 23.2× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- Japan's 2.62 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 110,178, 23.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.51 million | 3.36 million | 3.58 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.16 million | 3.00 million | 3.26 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.83 million | 2.62 million | 2.95 million | 6 |
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 school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Japan?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Japan was 2.62 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.58 million in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.62 million in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Japan ranks 26th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. 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, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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