Japan's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) was 3.34% in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.27 percentage points from 3.61% in 2011.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 3.34% | 2021 |
| Five years earlier | 3.15% | 2016 |
| Ten years earlier | 3.61% | 2011 |
| Highest | 5.49% | 1987 |
| Lowest | 3.08% | 2018 |
| Average since 2012 | 3.27% | 2012–2021 |
| First recorded | 3.58% | 1971 |
What the numbers say
In 2021, Japan's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 3.31% to 3.34%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2020), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.62 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.22 percentage points in 1983. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 24% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3.34% | 2021 |
| World | 3.57% | 2023 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 3.51% | 2023 |
| High income | 4.7% | 2022 |
Closest to Japan in the 2021 ranking
What this measures
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 42 values
| Year | Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.34 |
| 2020 | 3.31 |
| 2019 | 3.16 |
| 2018 | 3.08 |
| 2017 | 3.13 |
| 2016 | 3.15 |
| 2015 | 3.31 |
| 2014 | 3.42 |
| 2013 | 3.41 |
| 2012 | 3.42 |
| 2011 |
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies
- Australia — 5.06% (2022)
- Brunei Darussalam — 4.43% (2016)
- Cambodia — 2.18% (2023)
- China — 3.9% (2023)
- Fiji — 4.25% (2023)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.81% (2024)
- Indonesia — 1.28% (2023)
- Kiribati — 16.39% (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 5.41% (2022)
- Lao PDR
More education data for Japan
- Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils — 6.25 million (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 1.28% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers — 440,864 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils — 6.61 million (2023)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2019)
- Secondary education, teachers — 627,777 (2023)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Japan's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?
- 3.34% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1971?
- It is down 0.24 percentage points from 3.58% in 1971. The highest value was 5.49% in 1987 and the lowest 3.08% in 2018.
- Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Japan?
- In 2021, Japan's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) rose 0.03 percentage points on 2020 (from 3.31% to 3.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2020), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
- Where does this data come from?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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