Duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of)
China (People’s Republic of): Duration of compulsory education was 9 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
9 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 200 countries
All-time high
9 years
in 1998
All-time low
9 years
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of), 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) is 9 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 9 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 1998.
That places China (People’s Republic of) 115th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)
- 115 Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Albania 9 years compare
- 115 Azerbaijan, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Bahrain, Kingdom of 9 years compare
- 115 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 years compare
- 115 Brunei Darussalam 9 years compare
- 115 Cuba 9 years compare
- 115 Estonia, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Georgia 9 years compare
- 115 Gambia, The 9 years compare
- 115 Guinea-Bissau 9 years compare
- 115 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China 9 years compare
- 115 Indonesia 9 years compare
- 115 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Japan 9 years compare
- 115 Kazakhstan, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Kiribati 9 years compare
- 115 Korea, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Kuwait 9 years compare
- 115 Lao People's Democratic Republic 9 years compare
- 115 Libya 9 years compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 9 years compare
- 115 Morocco 9 years compare
- 115 Mali 9 years compare
- 115 Montenegro 9 years compare
- 115 Mauritania, Islamic Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Nigeria 9 years compare
- 115 Nepal 9 years compare
- 115 Poland, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Saudi Arabia 9 years compare
- 115 Sierra Leone 9 years compare
- 115 Slovenia, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Syrian Arab Republic 9 years compare
- 115 Thailand 9 years compare
- 115 Tajikistan, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 Tunisia 9 years compare
- 115 Tuvalu 9 years compare
- 115 Yemen, Republic of 9 years compare
- 115 South Africa 9 years compare
More education data for China (People’s Republic of)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 6.74 million (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.7% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.4% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 99.6% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0048 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Duration of compulsory education in China (People’s Republic of) was 9 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The highest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 1998.
- How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for duration of compulsory education?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 115th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release