Duration of compulsory education in China
China: Duration of compulsory education was 9 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 205 countries
All-time high
9
in 1998
All-time low
9
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Duration of compulsory education in China, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of compulsory education in China stood at 9. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in China peaked at 9 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 9, in 1998.
That places China 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 | — |
| 1999 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 9 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10, 90% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- China's 9 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| 2000s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 120 Afghanistan 9 compare
- 120 Albania 9 compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 120 Bahrain 9 compare
- 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 120 Brunei 9 compare
- 120 Cuba 9 compare
- 120 East Timor 9 compare
- 120 Estonia 9 compare
- 120 Gambia 9 compare
- 120 Georgia 9 compare
- 120 Guinea-Bissau 9 compare
- 120 Hong Kong 9 compare
- 120 Indonesia 9 compare
- 120 Iran 9 compare
- 120 Japan 9 compare
- 120 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 120 Kiribati 9 compare
- 120 Kuwait 9 compare
- 120 Laos 9 compare
- 120 Libya 9 compare
- 120 Liechtenstein 9 compare
- 120 Mali 9 compare
- 120 Mauritania 9 compare
- 120 Montenegro 9 compare
- 120 Morocco 9 compare
- 120 Nepal 9 compare
- 120 Nigeria 9 compare
- 120 Poland 9 compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 120 Sierra Leone 9 compare
- 120 Slovenia 9 compare
- 120 South Africa 9 compare
- 120 South Korea 9 compare
- 120 Syria 9 compare
- 120 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 120 Thailand 9 compare
- 120 Tunisia 9 compare
- 120 Tuvalu 9 compare
- 120 Yemen 9 compare
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 duration of compulsory education in China?
- Duration of compulsory education in China was 9 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 in 1998.
- How does China rank for duration of compulsory education?
- China ranks 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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