China vs India: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes
China
36.57 million
in 2025
India
66.02 million
in 2025
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 66.02 million against 36.57 million in China, a difference of 29.45 million.
That makes India's figure about 1.8 times China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 222 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and India in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 104.84 million | 33.89 million | 70.95 million | China |
| 1980s | 83.29 million | 41.64 million | 41.65 million | China |
| 1990s | 88.21 million | 56.58 million | 31.63 million | China |
| 2000s | 49.88 million | 73.77 million | 23.89 million | India |
| 2010s | 52.48 million | 71.91 million | 19.43 million | India |
| 2020s | 47.46 million | 67.49 million | 20.03 million | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes, China or India?
- India, at 66.02 million against 36.57 million in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes between China and India?
- 29.45 million, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 1st of 222 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, pre-primary education, 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