Which has higher average years of schooling, Hong Kong, China or Japan?

Hong Kong, China, at 12.83 years against 12.83 years in Japan as of 2020.

What is the difference in average years of schooling between Hong Kong, China and Japan?

0 years, with Hong Kong, China ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong, China and Japan?

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.

Hong Kong, China vs Japan: Average years of schooling

Hong Kong, China

12.83 years

in 2020

Japan

12.83 years

in 2020

Hong Kong, China rank

11th

Japan rank

11th

Average years of schooling over time

Hong Kong, China
Japan

How they compare

Hong Kong, China currently reports 12.83 years against 12.83 years in Japan, a difference of 0 years.

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

Hong Kong, China ranks 11th and Japan ranks 11th of 111 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 16 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Hong Kong, China	Japan	Difference	Ahead
1870s	0.015 years	0.58 years	0.565 years	Japan
1880s	0.055 years	0.84 years	0.785 years	Japan
1890s	0.16 years	1.41 years	1.25 years	Japan
1900s	0.36 years	1.99 years	1.63 years	Japan
1910s	0.795 years	2.71 years	1.92 years	Japan
1920s	1.63 years	4.19 years	2.56 years	Japan
1930s	2.77 years	5.15 years	2.38 years	Japan
1940s	3.9 years	5.93 years	2.02 years	Japan
1950s	4.61 years	7.13 years	2.52 years	Japan
1960s	5.49 years	7.79 years	2.29 years	Japan
1970s	6.92 years	8.55 years	1.63 years	Japan
1980s	8.83 years	9.86 years	1.03 years	Japan
1990s	10.14 years	10.98 years	0.84 years	Japan
2000s	11.27 years	11.95 years	0.675 years	Japan
2010s	12.26 years	12.52 years	0.26 years	Japan
2020s	12.83 years	12.83 years	0 years	—

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher average years of schooling, Hong Kong, China or Japan?: Hong Kong, China, at 12.83 years against 12.83 years in Japan as of 2020.
What is the difference in average years of schooling between Hong Kong, China and Japan?: 0 years, with Hong Kong, China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong, China and Japan?: 31 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do Hong Kong, China and Japan rank globally for average years of schooling?: Hong Kong, China ranks 11th and Japan ranks 11th 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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Hong Kong, China vs Japan: Average years of schooling. Statizoid, drawing on Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/mean-years-of-schooling-long-run/hong-kong-sar-china/japan/

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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.