Share of students from abroad in Japan
Japan: Share of students from abroad was 4.68 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of students from abroad in Japan, 1998–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of students from abroad in Japan is 4.68, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of students from abroad in Japan peaked at 5.73 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.41, in 1998.
Japan ranks 69th of 134 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of students from abroad in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.41 | — |
| 1999 | 1.44 | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 3.52 | +145.0% |
| 2014 | 3.44 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 3.43 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 3.73 | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 4.27 | +14.4% |
| 2018 | 4.73 | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 5.24 | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 5.73 | +9.4% |
| 2021 | 5.57 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 5.12 | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 4.68 | -8.6% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 4.68 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.58, 44% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Japan's 4.68 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.67, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of students from abroad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +145.0% | 1.44 | 3.52 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.42 | 1.41 | 1.44 | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.05 | 3.43 | 5.24 | 7 |
| 2020s | 5.28 | 4.68 | 5.73 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More education data for Japan
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.88 (2013)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.93 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of students from abroad in Japan?
- Share of students from abroad in Japan was 4.68 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of students from abroad recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.73 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of students from abroad recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.41 in 1998.
- How does Japan rank for share of students from abroad?
- Japan ranks 69th out of 134 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of students from abroad rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of students from abroad. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).