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Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Japan

Japan: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
3.3%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
133rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
5.5%
in 1987
All-time low
3.1%
in 2018
Years of data
42
1971–2021

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Japan, 1971–2021

02461971199620211971: 3.6 % of GDP1972: 3.9 % of GDP1973: 4 % of GDP1974: 4 % of GDP1975: 4.6 % of GDP1976: 4.7 % of GDP1977: 4.7 % of GDP1978: 4.8 % of GDP1979: 5 % of GDP1980: 5 % of GDP1981: 5 % of GDP1982: 4.9 % of GDP1983: 4.7 % of GDP1987: 5.5 % of GDP1988: 5.5 % of GDP1989: 5.3 % of GDP1993: 3.4 % of GDP1994: 3.6 % of GDP1995: 3.4 % of GDP1998: 3.3 % of GDP1999: 3.4 % of GDP2000: 3.5 % of GDP2001: 3.4 % of GDP2002: 3.4 % of GDP2003: 3.5 % of GDP2004: 3.4 % of GDP2005: 3.3 % of GDP2006: 3.3 % of GDP2007: 3.3 % of GDP2008: 3.3 % of GDP2010: 3.6 % of GDP2011: 3.6 % of GDP2012: 3.4 % of GDP2013: 3.4 % of GDP2014: 3.4 % of GDP2015: 3.3 % of GDP2016: 3.1 % of GDP2017: 3.1 % of GDP2018: 3.1 % of GDP2019: 3.2 % of GDP2020: 3.3 % of GDP2021: 3.3 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Japan recorded 3.3% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Japan peaked at 5.5% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2018.

That places Japan 133rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.4% 3.6% 5.0% 9
1980s 5.1% 4.7% 5.5% 7
1990s 3.4% 3.3% 3.6% 5
2000s 3.4% 3.3% 3.5% 9
2010s 3.3% 3.1% 3.6% 10
2020s 3.3% 3.3% 3.3% 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 130 Serbia 3.4% compare
  2. 131 Greece 3.4% compare
  3. 132 Congo 3.3% compare
  4. 134 El Salvador 3.3% compare
  5. 135 North Macedonia 3.3% compare
  6. 136 Romania 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Japan?
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Japan was 3.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 5.5% in 1987.
What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2018.
How does Japan rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
Japan ranks 133rd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.