Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan

Japan: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes was 758,779 number in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
758,779 number
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
6th
of 143 countries
All-time high
1.16 million number
in 1998
All-time low
758,779 number
in 2018
Years of data
21
1998–2018

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan, 1998–2018

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M1998200820181998: 1.2M number1999: 1.1M number2000: 1.1M number2001: 1.0M number2002: 980.5k number2003: 974.7k number2004: 983.2k number2005: 981.7k number2006: 967.8k number2007: 922.6k number2008: 864.3k number2009: 803.2k number2010: 759.8k number2011: 764.8k number2012: 769.0k number2013: 765.7k number2014: 773.7k number2015: 772.3k number2016: 769.0k number2017: 764.6k number2018: 758.8k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan is 758,779 number, measured in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan peaked at 1.16 million number in 1998 and was at its lowest, 758,779 number, in 2018.

That places Japan 6th out of 143 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number) in Japan, 1998 to 2018.
Year number Change
1998 1.16 million number —
1999 1.11 million number -4.4%
2000 1.07 million number -3.6%
2001 1.02 million number -4.8%
2002 980,492 number -3.4%
2003 974,733 number -0.6%
2004 983,241 number +0.9%
2005 981,665 number -0.2%
2006 967,811 number -1.4%
2007 922,608 number -4.7%
2008 864,302 number -6.3%
2009 803,232 number -7.1%
2010 759,810 number -5.4%
2011 764,830 number +0.7%
2012 768,987 number +0.5%
2013 765,659 number -0.4%
2014 773,740 number +1.1%
2015 772,269 number -0.2%
2016 769,009 number -0.4%
2017 764,637 number -0.6%
2018 758,779 number -0.8%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 758,779 number is above the median for high income countries, which is 10,411 number, 72.9× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 758,779 number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69,772 number, 10.9× the median. (18 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.13 million number 1.11 million number 1.16 million number 2
2000s 956,031 number 803,232 number 1.07 million number 10
2010s 766,413 number 758,779 number 773,740 number 9

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 3 Turkey 2.77 million number compare
  2. 4 Russia 1.43 million number compare
  3. 5 Indonesia 978,740 number compare
  4. 7 Colombia 686,641 number compare
  5. 8 South Korea 677,032 number compare
  6. 9 Iran 654,441 number compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan?
Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan was 758,779 number in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 1.16 million number in 1998.
What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 758,779 number in 2018.
How does Japan rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
Japan ranks 6th out of 143 countries with data for 2018.
Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-tertiary-education-isced-5-programmes-both-sexes-number/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 2,883 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in public and private short-cycle tertiary education programmes (ISCED 5).