Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan
Japan: Theoretical duration of early childhood education was 5 years in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
50th
of 204 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1999
All-time low
3 years
in 2013
Years of data
21
1999–2019
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan, 1999–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan is 5 years, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan peaked at 6 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 2013.
That places Japan 50th out of 204 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 6 years | — |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 years | -50.0% |
| 2014 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +66.7% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5 years | 3 years | 6 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 50 Albania 5 years compare
- 50 Angola 5 years compare
- 50 Antigua and Barbuda 5 years compare
- 50 Azerbaijan 5 years compare
- 50 Bahrain 5 years compare
- 50 Barbados 5 years compare
- 50 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 years compare
- 50 Brazil 5 years compare
- 50 British Virgin Islands 5 years compare
- 50 Dominica 5 years compare
- 50 Gambia 5 years compare
- 50 Ghana 5 years compare
- 50 Grenada 5 years compare
- 50 Guinea 5 years compare
- 50 Hungary 5 years compare
- 50 Ireland 5 years compare
- 50 Kazakhstan 5 years compare
- 50 Republic of Korea 5 years compare
- 50 Montenegro 5 years compare
- 50 Morocco 5 years compare
- 50 Myanmar 5 years compare
- 50 Namibia 5 years compare
- 50 New Zealand 5 years compare
- 50 Nigeria 5 years compare
- 50 North Macedonia 5 years compare
- 50 Norway 5 years compare
- 50 Paraguay 5 years compare
- 50 Russian Federation 5 years compare
- 50 Slovenia 5 years compare
- 50 Thailand 5 years compare
- 50 Türkiye 5 years compare
- 50 Turkmenistan 5 years compare
- 50 Ukraine 5 years compare
- 50 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 5 years compare
More education data for Japan
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6.25 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan?
- Theoretical duration of early childhood education in Japan was 5 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of early childhood education recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 2013.
- How does Japan rank for theoretical duration of early childhood education?
- Japan ranks 50th out of 204 countries with data for 2019.
- Is theoretical duration of early childhood education rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. 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 Theoretical duration of early childhood education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of grades (years) in early childhood education.