School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in Japan
Japan: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) was 5.92 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.92 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
20th
of 221 countries
All-time high
8.25 million
in 2001
All-time low
5.92 million
in 2025
Years of data
25
2001–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Japan, 2001–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Japan stood at 5.92 million. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Japan peaked at 8.25 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 5.92 million, in 2025.
Japan ranks 20th of 221 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8.25 million | — |
| 2002 | 7.95 million | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 7.82 million | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 7.70 million | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 7.55 million | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 7.39 million | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 7.14 million | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 7.03 million | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 6.86 million | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 6.69 million | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 6.51 million | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 6.25 million | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 6.17 million | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 6.15 million | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 6.16 million | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 6.16 million | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 6.09 million | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 6.17 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 6.21 million | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 6.24 million | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 6.25 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 6.14 million | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 6.02 million | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.98 million | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 5.92 million | -1.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 5.92 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 247,364, 23.9× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Japan's 5.92 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 229,800, 25.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.52 million | 6.86 million | 8.25 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.25 million | 6.09 million | 6.69 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.09 million | 5.92 million | 6.25 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, tertiary education, both sexes in Japan?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Japan was 5.92 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.25 million in 2001.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.92 million in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Japan ranks 20th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. 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, tertiary 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