Education at a Glance 2025: Japan
Table of contents
This country note provides an overview of the key characteristics of the education system in Japan based on data from Education at a Glance 2025. In line with this year’s thematic focus, it emphasises tertiary education while also covering other parts of the education system. The data in this note are provided for the latest available year. Readers interested in the reference years for the data should refer to the corresponding tables in Education at a Glance 2025.
Tertiary attainment among young adults aged 25-34 in Japan has increased slightly between 2019 and 2024 (from 62% to 66%) and Japan is among the five OECD countries with the largest proportion of young adults with a tertiary attainment in 2024 (above the OECD average of 48%). Tertiary attainment is also high among 25-64 year-olds in Japan, with a rate among the highest in OECD countries (57%, compared to an OECD average of 42%).
Educational inequalities persist across generations. In all countries with available data, young adults (25–34 year-olds) are significantly more likely to attain a tertiary qualification if their parents have also done so. In Japan, 72% of 25-34 year-olds with at least one tertiary-educated parent have also attained a tertiary qualification, compared to only 43% among those whose parents attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education. This tertiary-attainment gap of 29 percentage points is larger than the OECD average gap of 25 percentage points.
Education expenditure per student in Japan, from primary to tertiary levels, averages USD (PPP) 14 130 annually, less than the OECD average of USD (PPP) 15,023. Relative to GDP, investment in education is also below the OECD average (3.9% of the GDP devoted to education compare the to the OECD average of 4.7%). However, expenditure per student amounts to 29.4% of GDP per capita in Japan, which is among the largest proportion across OECD countries (below levels for Austria, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States) and higher than the OECD average (25.3%).
The teaching workforce is ageing across OECD countries. Between 2013 and 2023, on average across OECD countries the proportion of teachers aged 30 or younger did not change much (increase or decrease of 1 percentage point or less at primary and secondary levels), while the proportion of teachers aged 50 years or older increased (by 2 to 3 percentage points at primary and secondary level). In Japan, the proportion of young teachers increased (by at least 5 percentage points at primary and secondary levels) and the proportion of older teachers decreased at primary level (by 6 percentage points) and increased at the secondary level (by less than 3 percentage points). In 2023, the proportion of young teachers in Japan is above the OECD average and the proportion of older teachers is below the OECD average.
The age distribution of teaching staff is very different at the tertiary level. In 2023 the proportion of academic staff aged 50 or older is higher than the OECD average (50% compared with 40%) whereas the proportion of young academic staff is lower than the average (3% compared with 9%). Japan has also the lowest share of women among academic staff (all levels of tertiary education combined) across OECD countries (31% of women, below the OECD average of 46%).
Educational inequalities persist across generations. In all countries with available data, young adults (25-34 year-olds) are significantly more likely to attain a tertiary qualification if their parents have also done so. In Japan, 72% of 25-34 year-olds with at least one tertiary-educated parent have also attained a tertiary qualification, compared to only 43% among those whose parents attained upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education. This tertiary-attainment gap of 29 percentage points is larger than the OECD average gap (25 percentage points) (Figure 1).
Survey of Adult Skills, in per cent
Note: The percentage in parentheses represents the share of tertiary-educated parents.
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table A1.4 (available on line).
In most OECD countries, a significant share of adults have low levels of literacy proficiency, defined as at or below Level 1 (on a scale of 0-5) in the OECD Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Individuals at this level can only understand very short texts with minimal distracting information. In Japan, 11% of 25–64 year-olds have literacy skills at or below Level 1, which is below the OECD average of 27%.
Educational attainment and skills are closely linked, although the strength of this relationship varies across countries. In Japan, tertiary-educated adults score, on average, 33 points higher in literacy proficiency than those with upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary attainment in the Survey of Adult Skills. This gap is similar to the OECD average difference of 34 points.
Average literacy scores fell between Cycle 1 (2012-15) and Cycle 2 (2023) of the Survey of Adult Skills1. On average across OECD countries, the fall among adults with tertiary attainment was 9 score points, smaller than the average drop of 19 score points among adults without upper secondary qualifications. In Japan, changes in average literacy scores for adults with tertiary attainment is not statistically significant, while the score for adults without upper secondary attainment decreased by 36 points (from 261 to 225).
In Japan, as in all OECD countries, adults with better literacy skills are more likely to participate in education and training. In 2023, 52% of adults (25–64 year-olds) with high literacy proficiency (i.e. at or above Level 4) in the Survey of Adult Skills participated in formal and/or non-formal education and training in the last year (the OECD average is 70%), compared to just 17% of those with proficiency at or below Level 1 (the OECD average is 26%).
In Japan as in most countries and economies with available data, tertiary-educated adults (25-64 year-olds) report better self-perceived health than those with lower levels of attainment. However, Japan is one of the countries with the lowest shares of adults reporting very good or excellent health. The share of adults who reported having very good or excellent health varies from 11% for adults with below upper secondary education to 27% for adults with a tertiary attainment, compared to the OECD average of 26% and 51% respectively.
Education systems must adapt to changes in the number of children by expanding or reducing provision accordingly. In many countries, the population of children aged 0-4 changed significantly between 2013 and 2023 and is projected to change further by 2033. Japan experienced a decline of 22% in the number of 0-4 year-olds, and is projected to see a decline of 6% between 2023 and 2033.
Bachelor’s or equivalent programmes are the main entry point into tertiary education in most OECD countries, with an average of 78% of those starting tertiary education for the first time enrolling in such programmes. In Japan, the share is lower at 65%.
Women make up the majority of first-time entrants to tertiary education in most OECD countries. In Japan, they accounted for 51% of first-time entrants in 2023, a share which is unchanged since 2013. Across the OECD, women make up 54% of new entrants on average, the same share as in 2013.
Across the OECD, the two most popular broad fields of study are science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and business, administration, and law, each accounting for 23% of graduates from bachelor’s or equivalent programmes. They are closely followed by the broad field of arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information, at 22% of graduates. In Japan, 20% of bachelor’s degree students graduate from a STEM field, 26% from business, administration and law, and 31% from arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information.
STEM fields are also the most popular fields of study for doctoral studies in most countries, but Japan is one of the few countries where the largest share of doctorate candidates are enrolled in Health and welfare (41% of doctoral graduates, compared to 17% on average across OECD countries).
International student mobility in tertiary education continues to rise across the OECD, with some countries experiencing substantial growth in the share of international students between 2018 and 2023. On average, 7.4% of all tertiary students across the OECD were international or foreign students, compared to 6% in 2018. Japan was one of the few countries with no increase, as the share remained constant at 4.7% (Figure 2). However, Japan is developing initiatives to improve student mobility with the objectives of accepting 400 000 international students in Japan and sending 500 000 Japanese students abroad by 2033.
In per cent
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table B4.3.
There are significant disparities in how much governments spend each year in education across OECD, partner and accession countries. Japan spends USD 10 993 per student from primary to post-secondary non-tertiary levels, placing it at the middle of the country range, which spans from less than USD 2 000 to more than USD 27 000 (Figure 3).
In equivalent USD converted using PPPs, expenditure on educational institutions
Note: Expenditure at tertiary level includes R&D. Expenditure per student in early childhood education is based on headcounts rather than full-time equivalent students. Expenditure at tertiary level for Luxembourg (USD 54 384) is not shown in the figure.
1. Year of reference differs from 2022.
2. Primary includes pre-primary education.
3. Includes payments by households outside educational institutions.
For data, see OECD (2025) Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en, Table C1.1 and Table C1.2.
In contrast to most other countries, government expenditure on education in Japan is lower at tertiary level, including research and development (R&D), than at primary to post-secondary non-tertiary levels. Government expenditure on education in Japan amounts to USD 8 184 per tertiary student compared to the OECD average of USD 15 102.
A large part of the disparity in expenditure per student across OECD, partner and accession countries reflects differences in national income levels. When expenditure is measured as a share of GDP, cross-country differences tend to be smaller, ranging from 2.5% of GDP to 6.9%. In Japan, education investment in primary to tertiary education stands at 3.9% of GDP, which is below the OECD average of 4.7% by this measure.
Governments are the primary source of education funding in all OECD countries, especially for the levels covered by compulsory education. In Japan, governments provide 92.7% of total funding for primary, secondary, and post-secondary non-tertiary education (after transfers to the private sector), which is above the OECD average of 90.4%. At the pre-primary and tertiary levels, private funding often plays a larger role. In Japan, 78.2% of pre-primary education funding2 (after transfers) and 37.5% of tertiary education funding (after transfers) come from public sources, compared to OECD averages of 85.6% and 67.4%, respectively.
Although expenditure per student from primary to tertiary levels increased on average across OECD countries between 2015 and 2022 in real terms (from USD 11 955 to USD 13 210), government spending on education declined in relative terms from 10.9% of public expenditure to 10.1%. This suggests the relative priority given to education in overall public spending has fallen across the OECD. In Japan, expenditure per student increased from USD 12 608 to USD 13 230, while the share devoted to education decreased from 8% of public expenditure to 7.1% over this period.
At pre-primary level, government expenditure in Japan increased substantially by 39.3% between 2015 and 2022. This is despite a decrease of 30.2% in the number of children enrolled. As a result, government expenditure per child has increased, by 99.6%, compared to an average increase of 24% across the OECD since 2015.
Some countries impose significantly higher tuition fees on foreign students at master’s level in public institutions, but Japan is not one of them. In Japan, average annual tuition fees for foreign students at master’s level are USD 5 647 on average, which is identical to the fees charged to national students (USD 5 647).
Many countries are experiencing teacher shortages, reflected not just in the number of unfilled teaching positions, but also in other indicators such as the share of non-fully qualified teachers in the teaching workforce. In the 14 countries and economies with data available, 1.6% of teaching positions are unfilled on average, and 4.9% of teachers are not fully qualified. In Japan, the share of unfilled teaching positions is 0.2%, and there are no non-fully qualified teachers. However, cross-country comparisons of these data should be made with even greater caution than in other areas, as teacher recruitment processes vary significantly, ranging from centralised systems with competitive national exams to fully decentralised hiring at the school level, making comparisons of vacancy levels difficult.
Attracting second-career teachers can help alleviate teacher shortages while bringing individuals with a broader range of experience into the profession. To support this, 16 out of 28 countries with available data (including Japan) offer dedicated alternative pathways into teaching for individuals changing careers.
High salaries can make the teaching profession more attractive. Between 2015 and 2024, statutory salaries increased in most countries, though at varying rates for new and experienced teachers. In Japan, for starting salaries increased during the period while those for teachers with 15 years of experience decreased. In 2024 statutory salaries in Japan remain below the OECD average. For primary teachers, statutory salary ranges from a minimum of USD 34 863 (starting salary for teachers with minimum qualification) to a maximum of USD 66 530 (salary at top of scale for teachers with maximum qualification), below the OECD averages ranging from a minimum of USD 44 153 to a maximum of USD 74 896.
On top of statutory salaries, allowances, bonuses or other rewards also complement earnings of teachers. These allowances are usually set to meet specific purposes. For example, Japan has implemented three different location allowances to retain high-quality teachers in remote areas, to help teachers cover heating costs in cold areas or provide additional payments in high-cost areas.
The amount of compulsory instruction time affects teacher salary costs as it influences the number of teachers needed, combined with other factors such as class size and teaching time of teachers. In Japan, students receive 768 hours of compulsory instruction per year in primary education and 884 hours in lower secondary education. This is below the OECD average of 804 hours in primary and 909 hours in lower secondary education.
In Japan, 40% of instruction time in primary education is allocated to mathematics and reading, writing and literature, falling to 24% in lower secondary education. In comparison, the OECD average is for 41% of instruction time in primary education and 27% in lower secondary education to be devoted to these core subjects.
Across the OECD, the average class size at primary level has not changed since 2013, at 20.6 students. In Japan, the average class size in primary education in 2023 was 26.7 students, down by 0.7 since 2013.
Updated 10 September 2025
For more information on Education at a Glance 2025 and to access the full set of indicators, see: https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en.
For more information on the methodology used during the data collection for each indicator, the references to the sources and the specific notes for each country, see Education at a Glance 2025: Sources, Methodologies and Technical Notes, https://doi.org/10.1787/fcfaf2d1-en.
For general information on the methodology, please refer to the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics 2018, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304444-en.
Updated data can be found on line at http://data-explorer.oecd.org/ and by following the StatLinks in the publication.
Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using the Education GPS: https://gpseducation.oecd.org/.
Questions can be directed to the Education at a Glance team at the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills: EDU.EAG@oecd.org.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
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