Average years of schooling among adults in Japan
Japan: Average years of schooling among adults was 12.68 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Japan, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Japan recorded 12.68 years for average years of schooling among adults in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Japan peaked at 12.68 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.64 years, in 1990.
Japan ranks 28th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.84 years | 11.64 years | 12.04 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.29 years | 12.09 years | 12.49 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.59 years | 12.53 years | 12.66 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.68 years | 12.67 years | 12.68 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 25 South Korea 12.72 years compare
- 26 Georgia 12.7 years compare
- 27 Belgium 12.69 years compare
- 29 Netherlands 12.67 years compare
- 30 Luxembourg 12.59 years compare
- 31 Cyprus 12.56 years compare
More education data for Japan
- Population ages 0-14 11.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 58.8% (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.1% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 440,864 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.22 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Japan?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Japan was 12.68 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.68 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.64 years in 1990.
- How does Japan rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Japan ranks 28th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.