Which has higher average years of schooling, China or Indonesia?

Indonesia, at 9.06 years against 8.99 years in China as of 2020.

What is the difference in average years of schooling between China and Indonesia?

0.07 years, with Indonesia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for China and Indonesia?

31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.

Where does this data come from?

Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

China vs Indonesia: Average years of schooling

China

8.99 years

in 2020

Indonesia

9.06 years

in 2020

China rank

65th

Indonesia rank

62nd

Average years of schooling over time

China
Indonesia

How they compare

Indonesia currently reports 9.06 years against 8.99 years in China, a difference of 0.07 years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1870 it was Indonesia ahead.

China ranks 65th and Indonesia ranks 62nd of 111 countries.

Across the 16 decades both report, China averaged higher in 8 and Indonesia in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade	China	Indonesia	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1880s	0.01 years	0.01 years	0 years	—
1890s	0.01 years	0.025 years	0.015 years	Indonesia
1900s	0.02 years	0.065 years	0.045 years	Indonesia
1910s	0.05 years	0.15 years	0.1 years	Indonesia
1920s	0.12 years	0.475 years	0.355 years	Indonesia
1930s	0.31 years	0.655 years	0.345 years	Indonesia
1940s	1.46 years	0.89 years	0.57 years	China
1950s	1.99 years	1.23 years	0.76 years	China
1960s	3.1 years	1.97 years	1.12 years	China
1970s	4.5 years	3.17 years	1.32 years	China
1980s	5.95 years	3.95 years	2 years	China
1990s	6.81 years	4.67 years	2.15 years	China
2000s	7.9 years	6.04 years	1.86 years	China
2010s	8.38 years	8.26 years	0.12 years	China
2020s	8.99 years	9.06 years	0.07 years	Indonesia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, China or Indonesia?: Indonesia, at 9.06 years against 8.99 years in China as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between China and Indonesia?: 0.07 years, with Indonesia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Indonesia?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do China and Indonesia rank globally for average years of schooling?: China ranks 65th and Indonesia ranks 62nd of 111 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Average years of schooling. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Indonesia: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/china/indonesia/

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About this data

Indicator: Average years of schooling
Unit: years
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 111 places, 3,441 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Average years of formal education for individuals aged 15-64.