Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan

Japan: Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational was 10.6% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
10.6%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
86th
of 216 countries
All-time high
18.7%
in 1971
All-time low
10.6%
in 2023
Years of data
37
1971–2023

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan, 1971–2023

051015201971199720231971: 18.7 %1972: 18.3 %1973: 18.1 %1974: 17.6 %1975: 17.4 %1976: 17 %1977: 16.5 %1978: 15.7 %1979: 15.3 %1980: 15.1 %1981: 14.8 %1982: 15 %1983: 13.3 %1984: 13 %1985: 13 %1986: 12.9 %1987: 12.6 %1988: 12.6 %1989: 12.7 %1990: 13 %1991: 13.6 %1992: 13.6 %1994: 14.5 %1995: 14.5 %1998: 13.3 %1999: 13.1 %2013: 11.6 %2014: 11.6 %2015: 11.5 %2016: 11.5 %2017: 11.5 %2018: 11.4 %2019: 11.5 %2020: 11.4 %2021: 11.1 %2022: 10.8 %2023: 10.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Japan recorded 10.6% for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 37 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan peaked at 18.7% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2023.

Japan ranks 86th of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.

Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes, both sexes (%) in Japan, 1971 to 2023.
Year % Change
1971 18.7%
1972 18.3% -1.7%
1973 18.1% -1.5%
1974 17.6% -2.4%
1975 17.4% -1.4%
1976 17.0% -2.1%
1977 16.5% -3.2%
1978 15.7% -4.6%
1979 15.3% -2.9%
1980 15.1% -1.0%
1981 14.8% -2.4%
1982 15.0% +1.9%
1983 13.3% -11.8%
1984 13.0% -2.2%
1985 13.0% +0.3%
1986 12.9% -1.1%
1987 12.6% -2.2%
1988 12.6% -0.2%
1989 12.7% +1.4%
1990 13.0% +2.3%
1991 13.6% +4.3%
1992 13.6% +0.2%
1994 14.5% +6.9%
1995 14.5% -0.0%
1998 13.3% -8.6%
1999 13.1% -1.7%
2013 11.6% -10.9%
2014 11.6% -0.5%
2015 11.5% -0.4%
2016 11.5% -0.5%
2017 11.5% -0.1%
2018 11.4% -0.1%
2019 11.5% +0.3%
2020 11.4% -1.0%
2021 11.1% -1.9%
2022 10.8% -2.7%
2023 10.6% -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 17.2% 15.3% 18.7% 9
1980s 13.5% 12.6% 15.1% 10
1990s 13.7% 13.0% 14.5% 7
2010s 11.5% 11.4% 11.6% 7
2020s 11.0% 10.6% 11.4% 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 83 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 11.0% compare
  2. 84 Paraguay 10.9% compare
  3. 85 Montserrat 10.8% compare
  4. 87 Mozambique 10.5% compare
  5. 88 Chile 10.4% compare
  6. 89 Philippines 10.3% compare

See the full ranking of 437 places →

More education data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan?
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan was 10.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 18.7% in 1971.
What is the lowest share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2023.
How does Japan rank for share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational?
Japan ranks 86th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. 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 Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-secondary-education-enrolled-in-vocational-programmes-both-sexes/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in secondary education enrolled in vocational programmes, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
437 places, 19,058 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release