The JLPT certified 297,582 people in its December 2025 sitting, a 33.9% certification rate across 876,484 examinees. That is the lowest rate of the four sessions held in 2024 and 2025, and it came from the largest single sitting in the test’s records back to 1984.
This post covers JLPT pass rates by level and year, the split between Japanese and overseas test sites, applicant volume, and the score thresholds behind each level.
JLPT Pass Rates by Level and Year
What Are the JLPT Pass Rates by Level?
N1 sat at 29.8% in December 2025, the lowest of the five levels. N5 reached 50.2%, the only level above 40%.
The rates do not descend cleanly from N5 to N1. N2, N3 and N4 landed within 3.4 points of each other, while the gap between N5 and N4 ran to 15.6 points.
| Level | Examinees | Certified | Certification rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | 121,233 | 36,124 | 29.8% |
| N2 | 232,364 | 76,712 | 33.0% |
| N3 | 249,389 | 77,767 | 31.2% |
| N4 | 194,015 | 67,054 | 34.6% |
| N5 | 79,483 | 39,925 | 50.2% |
| All levels | 876,484 | 297,582 | 33.9% |
Source: JLPT, Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, December 2025 session.
N3 produced the largest examinee pool at 249,389 and the second-largest certified count at 77,767. N2 certified 76,712 from a smaller pool of 232,364.
How Have JLPT Pass Rates Changed by Level and Year?
Every level except N5 posted a lower certification rate in December 2025 than in July 2024. N3 moved the furthest, from 40.5% down to 31.2%.
N5 held between 49.5% and 50.8% across all four sittings. Learners working toward that entry level can practise with these printable Japanese worksheets for beginners.
| Level | July 2024 | Dec 2024 | July 2025 | Dec 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | 33.3% | 28.7% | 28.0% | 29.8% |
| N2 | 38.3% | 33.1% | 33.9% | 33.0% |
| N3 | 40.5% | 35.2% | 38.0% | 31.2% |
| N4 | 40.9% | 35.6% | 36.8% | 34.6% |
| N5 | 50.0% | 49.5% | 50.8% | 50.2% |
| All levels | 39.6% | 35.0% | 36.3% | 33.9% |
Source: JLPT Past Test Data, Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, July 2024 to December 2025 sessions.
July Versus December Sittings
December returned the lower overall rate in both years: 35.0% against 39.6% in 2024, and 33.9% against 36.3% in 2025.
December is also the larger sitting. It drew 876,484 examinees in 2025 against 769,229 in July. The JLPT publishes rates by session and does not state a reason for the gap.
N1 examinee numbers fell between the two December sittings, from 126,754 in 2024 to 121,233 in 2025. N3 rose from 214,579 to 249,389 over the same pair of dates.
JLPT Pass Rates in Japan Versus Overseas Test Sites
Overseas sites certified 39.3% of examinees in December 2025. Sites inside Japan certified 27.6%.
N5 was the only level where the Japan rate ran higher, at 53.5% against 50.0%. It is also the level Japan barely runs, with 4,647 N5 examinees against 74,836 overseas.
N2 showed the widest split of the five levels: 25.4% in Japan against 40.9% overseas. Context on how the test fits into study and work routes in Japan appears in this level-by-level JLPT exam guide.
| Level | Japan examinees | Japan rate | Overseas examinees | Overseas rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | 52,291 | 24.0% | 68,942 | 34.2% |
| N2 | 118,354 | 25.4% | 114,010 | 40.9% |
| N3 | 139,328 | 26.2% | 110,061 | 37.5% |
| N4 | 87,608 | 33.6% | 106,407 | 35.3% |
| N5 | 4,647 | 53.5% | 74,836 | 50.0% |
| All levels | 402,228 | 27.6% | 474,256 | 39.3% |
Source: JLPT, Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, December 2025 session.
Overseas sites accounted for 474,256 of the 876,484 examinees in that session. The gap held in July 2025 too, at 38.4% overseas against 33.5% in Japan.
How Many People Take the JLPT Each Year?
1,940,852 people applied for the JLPT during 2025 and 1,645,713 sat it. The Japan Foundation records that applicant figure as the largest ever.
The test ran in 92 countries and areas in 2025, down from 96 in 2024. Applicant and examinee counts both rose over the same pair of years.
| Year | Countries and areas | Applicants | Examinees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 92 | 1,940,852 | 1,645,713 |
| 2024 | 96 | 1,718,943 | 1,470,989 |
| 2023 | 92 | 1,481,023 | 1,265,435 |
| 2022 | 89 | 932,518 | 787,954 |
| 2021 | 74 | 807,581 | 684,907 |
| 2020 | 29 | 424,147 | 370,028 |
| 2019 | 87 | 1,362,167 | 1,168,535 |
Source: JLPT Past Test Data, Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, 2019 to 2025. The July 2020 test was cancelled at all sites, so that year covers one sitting.
Examinee counts are lower than applicant counts in every year listed, since the JLPT counts applicants at registration and examinees on test day. Japan’s wider intake picture sits in these education in Japan statistics.
JLPT Pass Marks by Level
N1 requires 100 points out of 180. N5 requires 80. N3 breaks the pattern at 95, five points above N2.
Passing needs both the overall mark and every sectional minimum. The JLPT states that an examinee who misses any single sectional minimum fails, whatever the total score.
| Level | Overall pass mark (of 180) | Sectional minimums |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 100 | 19 each in Language Knowledge, Reading, Listening |
| N2 | 90 | 19 each in Language Knowledge, Reading, Listening |
| N3 | 95 | 19 each in Language Knowledge, Reading, Listening |
| N4 | 90 | 38 in Language Knowledge・Reading, 19 in Listening |
| N5 | 80 | 38 in Language Knowledge・Reading, 19 in Listening |
Source: JLPT, Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, pass marks announced August 2010 for N1 to N3 and January 2011 for N4 and N5.
N1, N2 and N3 split their 180 points across three scored sections. N4 and N5 use two, combining Language Knowledge and Reading into one 120-point block, which a Japanese verb conjugation tool can help drill.
The JLPT uses scaled scoring, so raw marks are converted before results are reported. Learners judging how far 100 points of N1 sits from a standing start can compare it against FSI language difficulty rankings, and build reading time through graded Japanese short stories.
FAQ
Which JLPT level has the lowest pass rate?
N1. It certified 29.8% of examinees in December 2025 and recorded the lowest rate of the five levels in all four sittings held across 2024 and 2025, reaching a low of 28.0% in July 2025.
What was the JLPT pass rate in 2025?
The JLPT reports rates by session. July 2025 certified 36.3% of 769,229 examinees. December 2025 certified 33.9% of 876,484. Across the year 1,645,713 people sat the test from 1,940,852 applicants.
Is N3 harder than N2, as Reddit threads often claim?
Reddit JLPT threads regularly flag the score thresholds, and the JLPT confirms them: N3 needs 95 points of 180 to pass against N2’s 90. In December 2025 N3 certified 31.2% and N2 certified 33.0%.
Are JLPT pass rates higher overseas than in Japan?
Yes in December 2025. Overseas sites certified 39.3% of examinees against 27.6% at Japanese sites. N5 was the one exception, at 53.5% in Japan versus 50.0% overseas.
Why does Reddit say the December JLPT is harder than July?
Published rates were lower in December both years: 35.0% against 39.6% in 2024, and 33.9% against 36.3% in 2025. The JLPT publishes these rates without stating a cause.
Sources
https://www.jlpt.jp/e/statistics/archive.html
https://www.jlpt.jp/e/statistics/archive/202502.html
https://www.jlpt.jp/e/statistics/archive/202501.html
https://www.jlpt.jp/e/topics/201101311296451824.html
