Japan: Secondary education, teachers

Key figures

Over five years it is down 1.47% from 637,136 in 2018 (0.3% a year on average, compounded). Since 1971 it is up 31.35% from 477,931 in 1971 (0.53% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 17 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Japan's secondary education, teachers fell 0.3% on 2022 (from 629,929 to 627,777).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2022), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 1.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.5% in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.9% in 1999. 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 681.33 a year. A straight line explains 35% 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 4th highest value of the 39 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

• United States — 1st of 39: 1.74 million
• Mexico — 2nd of 39: 868,550
• Türkiye — 3rd of 39: 788,294
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 5th of 39: 621,578
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 6th of 39: 406,399
• United Kingdom — 7th of 39: 388,714

What this measures

Secondary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at secondary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 36 values

Secondary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Brunei Darussalam — 5,040 (2023)
• Cambodia — 107,312 (2021)
• China — 7.41 million (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 31,678 (2024)
• Indonesia — 1.35 million (2025)
• Kiribati — 969 (2024)
• Korea, Rep. — 233,046 (2024)
• Lao PDR — 35,584 (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 2,938 (2024)
• Malaysia — 217,105 (2024)
• Mongolia — 25,798 (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)
• Secondary education, pupils — 6.61 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Japan's secondary education, teachers?

627,777 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 31.35% from 477,931 in 1971 (0.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 702,575 in 1995 and the lowest 475,829 in 1972.

How does Japan rank?

4th highest of 39 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Japan's secondary education, teachers fell 0.3% on 2022 (from 629,929 to 627,777). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2022), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 1.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

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

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.