Education System
System Structure
Language and Literacy
Official Language(s)
Official national or regional languages.
Japanese
EF English Proficiency Index
The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) places the surveyed countries and territories into five proficiency bands, from Very High to Very Low. These bands indicate the level of the “average” person.
Japan
446 (very low proficiency)
Global Rank
97 of 123
Source: EF English Proficiency Index
Youth Literacy Rate (Ages 15–24)
Literacy rates indicate how well a country’s education system has been functioning, particularly at the elementary level.
Japan
N/A
OECD Average
99.3% (2022)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Numeracy Rate (all ages)
Japan
90.10% (2023)
Global Rank
1 of 40
Source: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Access and Investment
Mean Years of Schooling
Average number of completed years of education of a country’s population age 25 years and older, not including years spent repeating individual grades.
Government Expenditure on Education
Expressed as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for the same financial year. The Education 2030 Framework for Action, adopted by UNESCO member states in 2015, recommends countries allocate at least 4 percent to 6 percent of GDP to education.
Japan
3.34% (2021)
Global Rank
137 of 203
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Participation of Youth in Education and Training
Participation rate of youth (ages 15 to 24 years) in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months.
Japan
N/A
Global Rank
N/A
High Income Countries Average
63.6% (2024)
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics