So how many people actually pass the JLPT every year?
I’ve compiled some statistics/data over the last few years to give you a clear idea of how many people register for and actually pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test to receive their JLPT certification for each level.
| Level | N1 | N2 | N3 | N4 | N5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 summer + winter total | Applicants | 211,441 | 254,613 | 190,484 | 117,917 | 91,839 | 866,294 |
| Examinees※ | 186,531 | 225,803 | 165,124 | 101,375 | 76,969 | 755,802 | |
| Certified | 59,929 | 89,185 | 66,333 | 35,752 | 38,045 | 289,244 | |
| Percentage Certified(%) | 32.1% | 39.5% | 40.2% | 35.3% | 49.4% | 38.3% | |
| 2015 summer + winter total | Applicants | 203,930 | 216,068 | 151,338 | 99,968 | 78,948 | 750,252 |
| Examinees※ | 179,273 | 190,730 | 129,628 | 86,108 | 66,780 | 652,519 | |
| Certified | 56,262 | 76,687 | 49,057 | 31,058 | 34,731 | 247,795 | |
| Percentage Certified(%) | 31.4% | 40.2% | 37.8% | 36.1% | 52.0% | 38.0% | |
| 2014 summer + winter total | Applicants | 206,636 | 197,054 | 127,368 | 82,329 | 68,506 | 681,893 |
| Examinees※ | 182,723 | 174,596 | 108,409 | 70,933 | 58,021 | 594,682 | |
| Certified | 59,544 | 72,818 | 41,882 | 29,309 | 29,732 | 233,285 | |
| Percentage Certified(%) | 32.6% | 41.7% | 38.6% | 41.3% | 51.2% | 39.2% |
Analyzing the data
From the above table, the percentage certified (or pass rate), is highlighted in blue for to quickly see. Over the last 3 years, we have these average pass rate for each JLPT level.
- JLPT N1 average pass rate: ~32%
- JLPT N2 average pass rate: ~40%
- JLPT N3 average pass rate: ~39%
- JLPT N4 average pass rate: ~37%
- JLPT N5 average pass rate: ~51%
Based on this, N5 (the easiest level) had the highest pass rate, which is not surprising, at about 50%. N2-N4 have fairly similar pass rates averaging between 37-40%, while N1 (the most difficult level) has the lowest pass rate, at about 32%.
An increase in people taking the JLPT Test
As seen in the above graph, since the JLPT switched to the N1~N5 system, there has been a steady incline in both test takers, and number of cities where the JLPT is offered. Especially, in 2016, there was a significant growth in all categories.
JLPT Statistics Data Archives (summer + winter tests)
If you want to look into more specific data for the differences in summer and winter tests, I’ve compiled that data here as well:
References
Data retrieved from official JLPT website:
http://jlpt.jp/e/statistics/archive.html