China vs India: Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male
China
30.48 million
in 2024
India
22.14 million
in 2025
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 30.48 million against 22.14 million in India, a difference of 8.34 million.
That makes China's figure about 1.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1976 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 195 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and India in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 452,374 | 2.34 million | 1.89 million | India |
| 1980s | 774,246 | 2.44 million | 1.66 million | India |
| 2000s | 11.66 million | 8.24 million | 3.42 million | China |
| 2010s | 19.24 million | 16.17 million | 3.08 million | China |
| 2020s | 27.96 million | 20.56 million | 7.40 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male, China or India?
- China, at 30.48 million against 22.14 million in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male between China and India?
- 8.34 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release