China vs UNICEF: World: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes
China
159.15 million
in 2025
UNICEF: World
1.24 billion
in 2024
China rank
2nd
UNICEF: World rank
5th
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes over time
- China
- UNICEF: World
How they compare
UNICEF: World currently reports 1.24 billion against 159.15 million in China, a difference of 1.08 billion.
That makes UNICEF: World's figure about 7.8 times China's.
Across all 27 years both countries report, UNICEF: World has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and UNICEF: World ranks 5th of 197 countries.
UNICEF: World has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | UNICEF: World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 213.51 million | 758.40 million | 544.89 million | UNICEF: World |
| 2000s | 181.44 million | 843.70 million | 662.25 million | UNICEF: World |
| 2010s | 148.26 million | 1.13 billion | 978.83 million | UNICEF: World |
| 2020s | 159.50 million | 1.22 billion | 1.06 billion | UNICEF: World |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population of compulsory school age, both sexes, China or UNICEF: World?
- UNICEF: World, at 1.24 billion against 159.15 million in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in population of compulsory school age, both sexes between China and UNICEF: World?
- 1.08 billion, with UNICEF: World ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and UNICEF: World?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2024.
- How do China and UNICEF: World rank globally for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd and UNICEF: World ranks 5th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (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