Primary education, pupils in Japan
Japan: Primary education, pupils was 6.25 million in 2023. ▼ Falling
Primary education, pupils in Japan, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Japan is 6.25 million, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Japan peaked at 11.92 million in 1982 and was at its lowest, 6.25 million, in 2023.
That places Japan 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.23 million | 9.63 million | 11.15 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 11.23 million | 9.87 million | 11.92 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.65 million | 7.69 million | 9.61 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.61 million | 6.49 million | 6.80 million | 7 |
| 2020s | 6.34 million | 6.25 million | 6.44 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More education data for Japan
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 11.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 58.8% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.1% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 440,864 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 101.1% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 101.2% (2023)
- Labor force, female 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force, total 69.48 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Japan?
- Primary education, pupils in Japan was 6.25 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 11.92 million in 1982.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.25 million in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for primary education, pupils?
- Japan ranks 23rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.