Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China
China: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 3.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in China, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in China is 3.9%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in China peaked at 3.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1971.
That places China 111th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More education data for China
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (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 6.74 million (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.01 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in China?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in China was 3.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1971.
- How does China rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- China ranks 111th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.