Japan: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Japan's secondary education, pupils fell 0.8% on 2022 (from 6.66 million to 6.61 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2022), the average change was −0.1% and a typical year strayed about 2.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 4.2% in 1986 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.9% in 1993. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 77,117 a year. A straight line explains 98% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Japan had the 8th highest value of the 51 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Japan in the 2023 ranking

• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 51: 7.93 million
• Kenya — 6th of 51: 6.74 million
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7th of 51: 6.62 million
• United Kingdom — 9th of 51: 6.4 million
• South Africa — 10th of 51: 5.5 million
• Italy — 11th of 51: 4.61 million

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 39 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Australia — 2.65 million (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 40,924 (2023)
• Cambodia — 1.17 million (2024)
• China — 97.98 million (2024)
• Fiji — 113,613 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 340,877 (2024)
• Indonesia — 27.84 million (2025)
• Kiribati — 16,846 (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.66 million (2024)
• Lao PDR — 532,092 (2025)
• Macao SAR, China — 31,617 (2024)

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)
• Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) — 3.34% (2021)
• Primary education, pupils — 6.25 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 1.28% (2023)
• Primary education, teachers — 440,864 (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1 (2019)
• Secondary education, teachers

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Japan's secondary education, pupils?

6.61 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 24.19% from 8.72 million in 1971 (0.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 11.34 million in 1988 and the lowest 6.61 million in 2023.

How does Japan rank?

8th highest of 51 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Japan?

In 2023, Japan's secondary education, pupils fell 0.8% on 2022 (from 6.66 million to 6.61 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1977 to 2022), the average change was −0.1% and a typical year strayed about 2.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, 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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