China vs India: School age population, primary education, both sexes
China
105.16 million
in 2025
India
113.59 million
in 2025
China rank
2nd
India rank
1st
School age population, primary education, both sexes over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 113.59 million against 105.16 million in China, a difference of 8.43 million.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 3 times 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 2 and India in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 117.63 million | 77.69 million | 39.93 million | China |
| 1980s | 113.55 million | 95.19 million | 18.36 million | China |
| 1990s | 114.15 million | 115.92 million | 1.78 million | India |
| 2000s | 105.25 million | 119.67 million | 14.42 million | India |
| 2010s | 99.29 million | 122.44 million | 23.15 million | India |
| 2020s | 107.65 million | 116.52 million | 8.87 million | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, primary education, both sexes, China or India?
- India, at 113.59 million against 105.16 million in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, primary education, both sexes between China and India?
- 8.43 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, 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, 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