Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in China
China: Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) was 99.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in China, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 99.0% for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in China peaked at 99.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 82.1%, in 1981.
That places China 57th out of 165 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 82.1% | — |
| 1982 | 82.5% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 83.5% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 84.6% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 85.2% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 85.7% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 86.2% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 86.6% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 87.1% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 87.7% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 88.5% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 89.2% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 89.7% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 90.2% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 90.6% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 90.9% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 91.4% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 92.0% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 92.6% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 93.3% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 93.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 94.4% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 94.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 95.3% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 95.7% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 96.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 96.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 96.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 96.8% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 96.9% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 97.0% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 98.2% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 98.5% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 99.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.7%, 1.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- China's 99.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.6%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 84.1% | 82.1% | 86.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 89.2% | 86.6% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.4% | 92.0% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 97.3% | 96.6% | 98.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.7% | 98.4% | 99.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 93.37 (1997)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 93.32 (1997)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in China?
- Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in China was 99.0% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.1% in 1981.
- How does China rank for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- China ranks 57th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release